Understanding Labels Part 3: Cradle To Cradle, or A Cautionary Tale
by: TreeHugger Design, 2011-02-02 21:49:49 UTC
Images credit MBDC
Part of a series looking at green labels: what they mean and how they work. See Understanding Labels Part 1: Are They Green or Greenwash? Yes. and Understanding Labels Part 2: Separating Green Building from Greenwash
I mean, what's not to love about Cradle to Cradle, the certification system founded by William McDonough and Michael Braungart? Who wouldn't share their goals of "a delightfully...
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Spring + Gear + Motor = Energy
by: Yanko Design, 2011-02-01 08:03:57 UTC
It’s completely brilliant! Can you take this idea apart? This is a portable spring driven power generator design concept by designer Satoshi Yanagisawa, one that says you’ll be able to recharge your daily portable gadgets anytime anywhere without further negative impact to the environment. Sounds alright! The name of this project is “Cyclus,” and it’s a spring driven personal electricity generator. A hand held device that, when its bottom is twisted, provides 30 minutes of energy via the inner located spring via “rotation energy.”
The energy generated, Yanagisawa says, is enough to drive the DC motor (in the upper part of the device) to produce energy approximately equal to 6.6V 3W. Yanagisawa envisions this device as a catalyst for the next generation of ideas that generate social togetherness as well as electric energy.
Designer: Satoshi Yanagisawa
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akarchitectes: the waste-folder
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2011-02-02 01:45:00 UTC
'the waste-folder' is a compact hand-held bin, which easily unfolds into a six-compartment device
for garbage and recycling.
read more
volkswagen: xl1
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2011-02-02 08:50:00 UTC
designed to be highly aerodynamic, volkswagen's concept car is expected to return 313 miles to the gallon, with CO2 emissions of nearly a third of today's most efficient models.
read more
Inventables materials for lighting designers
by: Core77, 2011-02-01 18:40:27 UTC
A couple of cool LED-light-related materials over at Inventables, "the innovator's hardware store:" Reflective Light Pipes and LED Light Diffusing Plastic Compounds.
The Light Pipes are like gasless neon tubes, but rather than using fragile glass they're made from virtually unbreakable acrylic with a co-extruded reflective layer. It makes me think of the umbrella handles in Blade Runner.
The Light Diffusing Plastic Compounds are simple-looking sheets that break hotspots up, giving you a nice, even glow. They're paintable, printable, and even laser-etchable.
(more...)
Schneider does home energy sans smart meter
by: Gizmodo , 2011-02-01 21:30:00 UTC
Schneider Electric pushes into home energy management with Wiser system which uses either a smart meter or home broadband connection.
Molybdenite outshines silicon and graphene for electronic applications
by: Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine, 2011-02-01 08:02:18 UTC
Researchers have uncovered a material that they say has distinct advantages over traditional
silicon and even
graphene for use in electronics. Called molybdenite (MoS2), this mineral is abundant in nature and is commonly used as an element in steel alloys or, thanks to its similarity in appearance and feel to graphite, as an additive in lubricant. But the mineral hadn’t been studied for use in electronics, which appears to have been an oversight with new research showing that molybdenite is a very effective semiconductor that could enable smaller and more energy efficient transistors, computer chips and solar cells...
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Molybdenite outshines silicon and graphene for electronic applicationsTags: Graphene,
Semiconductors,
Silicon,
Transistor
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Ecomagination Challenge: Transit Tunnels That Power New York City?
by: fast company, 2011-02-01 14:44:35 UTC
The race to win GE's "Powering Your Home" Ecomagination Challenge, a contest that invites entrants to design the green home of the future, is on. So far, all the entrants are impressive, but one stands out: a proposal for transit tunnels that power cities.
Submitted by Alessandra Rapaccini and Giacomo Sanna, the CitySpeed Turbine turns transit tunnels into modular turbines that harness wind power from passing vehicles. The potential for energy is impressive--according to the NY/NJ Port Authority, approximately 202,000 cars pass through the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels each day. Combine that with train tunnels, and the device could be a significant energy source.
We aren't entirely sure how the CitySpeed Turbine fits into the "Powering Your Home" theme, but it's still one of the better--and more popular--entries in the contest. Other favorites include the Sunnovations solar hot water system, Clarian plug-in backup power and storage, and the high-performance seasonal cool roof.
Ariel Schwartz can be reached on Twitter or by email.
The Loop: Energy Efficiency's "Livestrong" Symbol?
by: fast company, 2011-02-01 23:07:31 UTC
What is the rallying cry for the nascent energy efficiency movement?
Last fall, Frog Design organized a day-long session for entrepreneurs,
designers, and executives to sketch out a symbol (or a brand) for energy
efficiency and the smart grid. The session yielded some promising ideas that have been fleshed out into three full-fledged design concepts.
Our
favorite design is the Loop, a mobius strip meant to remind us of "our
contributions to a never-ending natural cycle: from
engineers to consumers, from plants to transmission cables to homes,
from the Earth to our fingertips, and back again." Frog imagines that
the Loop could at first be used as a lifestyle statement, much like the
Livestrong symbol. Eventually, the Loop could be used as a rooftop
energy generator or plug-in monument to energy efficiency.
The Charge concept features a tungsten solar-powered ring with a lightning bolt symbol in the center. Frog explains:
When you
shake hands, fist bump, or come in close proximity with another ring
wearer, the two rings exchange data and literally start building a
network of energy conscious consumers. A connected smartphone app,
visualizing your real-time energy use, can pull data from your robust
social network and provide an augmented reality, like a pair of energy
X-ray goggles, that allows you to see your environment in a new way.
The final concept, the Faces, is built around a kid-focused fantasy universe populated by heroes that save electrons from human use.
Frog hopes that these characters could eventually be franchised a la
Dora the Explorer, burrowing into the next generation's energy
consciousness.
Frog doesn't have concrete plans to commercialize any of these concepts yet, but all of them seem marketable. Which would you choose?
Ariel Schwartz can be reached on Twitter or by email.
Signs on a Tree
by: Yanko Design, 2011-02-01 09:55:42 UTC
Imagine using a flexible LED solar panel as traffic signal! The idea is awesome. It can be installed on any existing circular base like a tree or a utility pole. So there you have a tree that’s a prime spot for a pedestrian signal, and here is this flexi strip waiting to be coiled around the tree! Easy urban and rural installation.
Designers: Gisung Han, Hwanju Jeon & Jaemin Lee
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