the hand-sewn carpet collection is formed from the fur of recycled stuffed animals, arranged in a kaleidoscopic pattern. 

the multi-use vehicle combines the design of nissan's nv200 with the zero-emissions drivetrain of the electric 'leaf'.

a collection of organisms that change and morph when brought into contact with living senses and perceptions.

Cell phones are a big source of e-waste, accounting for millions of phones that are discarded annually. Some steps have been taken to try to make some cell phones greener, but it's been small measures so far. However, wireless network provider Sprint is now planning to require all of the cell phones for the network to have green certification.

The standard for mobile phones, developed by UL Environment along with cell phone manufacturers and other industry members, is known as UL ISR 110 (PDF). It is a third-party testing standard that evaluates phones in the categories of Materials Use, Energy Use, Health and Environment, End of Life Management, Packaging, Manufacturing and Operations, and Innovation.

The Samsung Replenish is the first handset to achieve certification under this standard. The Replenish is largely recyclable, as well as having recycled content for many of its components. Sprint hopes to have 70 percent of its handsets meet the certification by the ned of next year.

via: GreenBiz

Cargo ships could start traveling through clouds of bubbles as a means for increasing their efficiency. Air lubrication consists of injecting air into the water underneath a ship to reduce the friction, which should allow the ship to travel faster while using less fuel.

Naval engineers are looking at the tradeoffs between the energy needed to blow air bubbles underneath ships and the benefits in increased efficiency this would provide. At present, they believe this could lead to increased fuel efficiency of 5 to 20 percent for freighters.

This technology is likely to make its first appearance on freighters on the Great Lakes, rather than on ocean-going cargo vessels. "Great Lakes ships tend to have large, flat bottoms – an ideal shape for the technology because air stays underneath the ship instead of bubbling to the surface." However, if it brings efficiency improvements, it can be expected that air lubrication will be adapted to new ocean freighters.

image: via Wikimedia Commons

via: Midwest Energy News

One of the holy grails of clean technology is now one step closer to reality as Noble Prize-winning chemist George Olah just developed a breakthrough low-cost plastic material than acts as one of the most effective CO2 absorbers ever created. Olah directed a team of researchers at the University of Southern California to take a common plastic which soaks up CO2 at moderate levels and fuse it to a silica substrate which vastly increases its surface area – and thus its effectiveness.

Read the rest of Nobel Laureate Develops World’s Cheapest and Most Effective CO2 Sponge

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Read the rest of Switzerland’s Berghotel Muottas Muragl is the First Energy-Plus Hotel in the Alps

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