Aluna Tidal-Powered Clock

December 25, 2006

To emphasize the renewable resources of ocean currents, the Aluna Tidal Powered Clock display consists of LEDs powered by ocean turbines. A prototype is underway, with intent to establish mirror images of the final in the northern and southern hemispheres. It has three overlapping rings that stand 5 stories high, and span a 45 meter area. The concept is to raise awareness of tidal power, and to remind pedestrians of their modest place in time. (The paradox is that us short people are more likely to occupy larger positions.) [GT]

Aluna Tidal Powered Clock [via Inhabitat]

2006 roundup #44: Prototyping the future with the water-powered battery

December 19, 2006

Green gadget prototypes abounded in 2006, such as Susumu Suzuki's water powered battery (takes but a licking to keep on ticking), the Venturi Eclectic: An "Energy-Autonomous" Vehicle (with a tiny wind turbine mounted on top to harness the resistance generated while you're whizzing around; also with solar panels plastered all over, it's not pretty, but it's got a lot of options) and the prototype yoyo-powered mp3 player (sleep the yo-yo a few times to play your nighttime lullabies). Trends set in place make it very likely that the world will only get greener; nobody likes to make prototypes and then toss them without making a few million bucks off them first. [GT]

Original stories: Susumu Suzuki's water powered battery | Venturi Eclectic: An "Energy-Autonomous" Vehicle | Prototype yoyo-powered mp3 player

2006 roundup #50: Sustainable Dance Club

December 18, 2006 Comments (1)

Even the most frivolous recreational activities are taking a green tint lately, and the Sustainable Dance Club is a prime example. The lavatories flush with reclaimed water, there are solar panels stuck all over, the vibrations of the dance floor are converted into power, and it's even a co-op so you can buy in if you want to change the way it works. [GT]

Original story: Sustainable Dance Club

Clean your paint brush - with your power drill

November 27, 2006

Fixed Fee IP is representing what the Sheffield inventor calls the 'paintbrush for life', a new paintbrush that you attach to your power drill in order to fling off the paint, leaving it sparkling clean and ready for the next job. It's tested especially well with gloss paint, with the result that much less solvent is used and brushes are wasted. No word on price, but for more information you can write to cleanpaintbrushes@yahoo.co.uk. [GT]

cleanpaintbrushes@yahoo.co.uk

The Hidden Life of Paper and Its Impact on the Environment

November 5, 2006

The irony of the New York Times reporting on how much damage overconsumption of paper does to the planet seems not completely lost in The Hidden Life of Paper and Its Impact on the Environment. It is, however, somewhat amusing that they're reporting on Time Magazine's responses. (Though, if being obsessed with Time was good enough for Allen Ginsberg...) There is some good news about companies going over to recycled pulp and identifying the really vile offenders. For example: "Time Inc.’s study found that greenhouse emissions from one of its paper mills accounted for 61 percent of the emissions from Time magazine and 77 percent of In Style’s emissions." Ouch! [GT]

The Hidden Life of Paper and Its Impact on the Environment

Calling stage 3 pupils to shout about FOE!

October 25, 2006

Shout about is Friends of the Earth's annual project to involve stage 3 pupils in environmental issues. This year's competition prize: an actual-factual wind turbine for the winning school or youth group. Write to FOE and they'll provide you with an activity pack, lesson ideas and a bundle of visual resources. Click here to download a PDF of the Shout about flyer. [GT]

Shout about at Friends of the Earth

Sheep Poo Paper Christmas Sheepy Cards

October 23, 2006 Comments (1)

Upstairs my in-laws to be have six grocery bags of Christmas, birthday, and other cards. I bet a whole tree could've been saved if they'd been Sheepy Greetings Cards, which are made from sheep dung. 5 packs are £6.99, all alike; 10 packs are £10.99, likewise alike; the 20 card variety pack has five of each of the four types for £20.99. Each card comes with a matching self-sealing envelope. And yes, I am jealous of where they work. [GT]

Sheepy Greetings Cards

Tumi LE Powerpack Backpack gives twice

October 19, 2006

Not only does the Tumi Limited Edition Powerpack Backpack have a built-on solar panel (a la the Voltaic) its full purchase price goes to support Doctors Without Borders. Which is good, since otherwise, no matter how Anish Kapoor designed it is, you might have trouble justifying £350 versus the Voltaic's £150. However, since it's for charity... has a myriad pockets, a pillow-padded section for your laptop, and a back designed to keep your back happy. [GT]

Tumi Limited Edition Powerpack Backpack [via Sybarites]

Urban Mover folding AND electric bike

October 19, 2006

The days where electric bikes are huge and clunky - nearly motorcycles - are long gone. Find proof in the UM 24 from Urban Mover, which has a battery charged from mains power at a cost of about 6p per 25km. Then when you arrive at work - or your 3rd story flat - it folds up for convenient carrying. (Although it's still 22.5kg, which is not so convenient! Better build up those muscles!) £700. [GT]

UM 24 electric bicycle

Home Wind Turbines Turn Fashionable in Britain

October 16, 2006

"I'm in surplus. I am now providing money to the grid," [Donnachadh McCarthy] said with a grin, gesturing at a red light winking on the wall that marks the progress of his domestic power station.

McCarthy is one of 80,000 UK homeowners with their own renewable power generation units. And why not, with B & Q selling them for only £1500? If that's too steep, try the models from Future Energy at only £695 - with the rising cost of power and the potential to actually sell back to the grid, it seems like a solid investment opportunity to investigate. Although McCarthy warns that alternative energy will only go so far in Britain's battle to restrict the emissions causing global warming. "Renewables are not the answer. This is about a range of things that come together. Mainly it's about reducing your need for energy," he said. [GT]

Home Wind Turbines Turn Fashionable in Britain

Greenglass gorgeous sale items

October 12, 2006

Taking shards of green glass and turning out very green recycled tealight holders, Greenglass is even more tempting right now since the star tea light holder shown here is on for £5.50. But if bejeweling yourself rather than your flat has more appeal, their sea glass style bracelets start at £4 and are tumbled to have the cloudy silkiness of beach finds. Also on special: a two-pack of blue tumblers for only £6. [GT]

Greenglass

Mackies of Scotland Ice Cream

October 11, 2006

We're mentioning Mackie's ice cream not just because they have an organic range of ice cream, notable as that is, but because their factory is powered by wind turbines. They added the phrase "made with renewable energy" to their ice cream tubs and also added the logo of a wind turbine. Unfortunately, most people thought it was a toothpick. So now, Mackie's is having a competition to design a new logo which is "small, clear and friendly" and demonstrates that Mackie's is made with wind energy. The winner will get 25 tubs of ice cream (no toothpicks required). The deadline is 31 December 2006.

Mackies Ice Cream

Bamboo carbon does, well, everything

October 10, 2006

José Christos, it seems to be bamboo day here at Hippyshopper - as well it should be, since it's so unbelievably versatile. However, the claims being made about this bamboo carbon seem a tad on the excessive side. I'm sure it does absorb odors, VOCs and humidity; is a good fuel; may even serve as a water purifier and improve the taste of rice and soup; is a good soil additive for gardening. It seems unlikely, though, that it absorbs microwave and CRT (tube-based computer monitors) radiation. However, we don't really need it to be all-knowing and all-seeing - six obvious benefits are certainly plenty. $19 USD. [GT]

Bamboo carbon

Krantz Recovered Woods

October 5, 2006

Modern furniture tends not to have the same fine grained wood as antiques, because the wood is simply not as old. This leads purists to reclaimed wood, such as the virgin Cypress and Longleaf pine offered by Krantz Recovered Woods. Krantz cypress comes from riverbeds where logs were floated downstream, and sometimes got waterlogged and sank. Since recovery was infeasible and old-growth wood was then plentiful, the wood lay underwater, forgotten. With modern concerns ranging from environmental to economic, companies like Krantz find it worthwhile to salvage these old logs for today's use. [GT]

Krantz Recovered Woods

Fermenting seaweed into methane-power

October 4, 2006

"No more seaweed topics," I begged mournfully. "There's only so much I can say about it." Well, was I ever wrong - the latest thing is not eating it, but turning seaweed into electricity. Tons (literally) of seaweed washes up on the Japanese coast in an unsightly as well as un-scently manner, and disposal is no fun. Plus it absorbs pollutants from the water, so it ends up contaminating the beaches. Now, though, the Tokyo Gas Co. team up with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) has produced sweet results: by March 2007 they'll have the global first that is a power plant run entirely off seaweed. They crush it into tomato-paste-like sludge, and add microorganisms which cause the muck to expel methane. Presto, gas power. The test facility powers 20 houses right now, but that's just the beginning of Japan's seaweed (and kelp, and sea lettuce) revolution. [GT]

Energy From Seaweed: New Energy Source to Debut Next Year