by: TreeHugger Design, 2012-02-08 20:00:20 UTC
A proposed office uses "climatic architecture" to cool the building by making it into a natural wind tunnel.
Xero Flor is a lightweight green roof and system originally developed in Germany. A version was first supplied to Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant by Xero Flor America LLC, the exclusive manufacturer and distributor here in the states, and now the company’s announcing Cradle to Cradle Silver for the technology.
The company’s pre-vegetated green roof mats install above a custom base for a green roof that’s “naturally resistant to weed encroachment, wind uplift, and surface erosion,” according to Xero Flor America.
The mats are supplied by regional farms and used with recycled-content products to help purchasers reap LEED credits if desired.
Xero Flor has been used in private homes across the country, including in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, Utah, and Washington, to name a few locations.
by: Environmental Leader, 2012-02-07 14:22:58 UTC Will people pay to go green? That’s a key question – maybe the question – for any company committed to sustainability. At Walmart, we’ve learned that the answer is a bit nuanced: Basically, usually not – but it depends. Some customers will pay more for certain products that are better for the environment, and their [...]
by: The Design blog, 2012-02-06 10:49:15 UTC
Shallu Sharma:
More than 75 percent of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas by the end of 2050, which means increased struggle on roads, for vehicles, for gadgets as well as for living space. The tech world around us is going compact and so are our homes, so to cope up with this compactness it becomes obligatory to reduce the shape and size of household electronics too. The Orbit washing machine concept by Electrolux offers a new way to wash clothes silently without using soap or water, and that too in just few minutes. This spherical machine, which clears all stains with ease, would definitely bring a revolution in domestic laundry.
Orbit is a self sufficient and noiseless washing machine
Its working is as easy as it seems. You can carry the spherical drum along and put your dirty clothes inside it and then place the drum inside the ring of so called Orbit washing machine. The machine is capable of producing its own energy as its ring comes equipped with huge hidden batteries. The induction technology enables reloading of the batteries by the energy produced by the drum while working. The impact of constant electric current stream and liquid nitrogen’s superconductivity occurrence produces magnetic levitation, which makes the drum rise and hover in the air. At this very point, the drum behaves like an electromagnet that could be controlled by electrical impulses.
The drum’s internal working to remove stains from clothes is equally interesting. It performs cryogenic cleaning with a jet firing solid carbon dioxide at supersonic velocity, which removes dirt and stains without harming clothes. Once the clothes are clean, carbon dioxide is sucked back into the tube and again transformed into solid form from gaseous form. The discharge of negative ions freshens up the air as well as the clothes. It is durable enough with two layers of shatterproof heat insulated glass covering. No doubt, this concept of cloth washing can break ground in the world of domestic laundry and would surely make you say “Never fear, the sphere is here.”
by: TreeHugger Design, 2012-02-07 14:55:00 UTC
It is about time that we recognized that every form of building is architecture and deserves attention and care.
A great sustainable feature that will bring a sparkle to any room, these N+ew Lights by Rodrigo Alonso have been created with a rotomolding technique employing e-waste. The Chilean designer gets his raw materials from local recycling company, Recycla, who donates the e-waste to him free of charge. A modern design with just the right bit of kitsch, they are yet another exciting sustainable product coming out of Latin America.
The Great White North may be steeped in nature that residents fight to preserve, but Canadians still generate a whopping 35 million tons of garbage every year. To draw attention to the excess waste produced by citizens, Environment Canada challenged 16 artists from the fields of fashion, hairstyling, cabinetry, and the visual arts to transform piles of trash into haute-couture creations. Currently on display at the Biosphere Environmental Museum in Montreal, O.N.E. Outfits From a New Era will make you think twice about consuming more than you need.
by: TreeHugger Design, 2012-02-06 14:30:00 UTC
Two well known experts in the field finally produce what may be the definitive textbook on green building.
Stanford University researchers are working on a wireless EV charging technology that could eventually lead to highways that automatically charge vehicles as they drive over them. Such a technology could lead to a basically infinite range for EVs.
The wireless power transfer that the scientists are working on uses magnetic resonance coupling. Two copper coils are placed a few feet apart and tuned to resonate at the same frequency. One coil is connected to an electric current that generates a magnetic field that causes the other coil to resonate. This process leads to an electric current being transferred invisibly from the first coil to the second.
Previous studies have found the technology to be safe. The current is only transferred between the two in-tune resonators. People or objects standing near or between the coils would not be affected at all and even with obstacles in between, the two coils will still transfer the current without interruption.
MIT researchers have already been working on a stationary version of this technology for EV charging that transfers 3 kW to a parked car, but the Stanford researchers are taking the concept and modifying it to transfer 10 kW over a distance of 6.5 feet, or enough to charge an EV cruising down the highway. A series of coils connected to a current would be embedded in the highway with a receiving coil installed on the bottom of an EV. The receiving coils would resonate as the car drove along the road, continuously feeding the battery.
After running different mathematical models, the researchers figured out that a coil bent at 90 degrees and attached to a metal plate can transfer 10 kW to a twin coil 6.5 feet away. They say the efficiency of this wireless power transfer is 97 percent!
The researchers have filed a patent and will now move on to testing it in labs and then in real-world driving conditions to make sure it's completely safe and doesn't have any negative affects on other cars or drivers. Check out a video explaing the technology above.
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-02-28 12:42:38 UTC
FEIT was founded in 2005 as a response to a mass produced, bottom line driven industry. An industry disconnected from the traditional art of shoe making. ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-02-28 12:34:24 UTC
The EcoStapler is great example of sustainability and functionality. The pocket-size object is light weighted and can staple 3 sheets at a time without ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-02-26 15:18:00 UTC
SoundLens is the first custom, invisible, digital and fully programmable hearing aid. It features noise reduction and speech preservation system designed ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-02-24 10:31:03 UTC
It’s really not always easy to hear the sounds from the iPad 2 speaker. When you are sitting on your sofa, lying in bed or watching a movie on the ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-02-24 10:08:54 UTC
Producing brick from recycled fly ash consumes less energy and emits less CO2 because it does not require firing to harden the masonry units. Nor is ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-02-23 07:42:57 UTC
*At the centre of attention*
Small children want to feel part of the family at all times. However, at mealtimes this can be a challenge because ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-02-21 17:05:25 UTC
Lyocell is a fabric most know better by its brand name Tencel®. It has a soft finish, packs light and is made from cellulose (vegetable matter), or ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-02-21 16:51:50 UTC
Never again getting a flush of cold water over you when you jump in the shower. Grohe has gone digital with its showers so now you can hang the control ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-02-20 09:53:00 UTC
Danish design duo Komplot is the first to create an industrially produced chair made strictly from textile. The chair Nobody is molded in one piece ...
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2012-02-20 08:44:28 UTC
*Aesthetics of safety*
In rescue situations, such as after serious traffic accidents in which heavy lorries might be involved now and then, it is ...
A proposed office uses "climatic architecture" to cool the building by making it into a natural wind tunnel.
It is about time that we recognized that every form of building is architecture and deserves attention and care.
Two well known experts in the field finally produce what may be the definitive textbook on green building.
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