Just charge it: Anthony Mutua's sneaker.

Love walking and texting? Still haven't done a faceplant on a streetlight? Well, this sneaker from Kenya can power your phone so you'll never have to look up from that screen again.

Inventor Anthony Mutua, 24, has been showing off his recharging sneaker at the first-ever Kenyan Science Technology and Innovation Week, held in Nairobi. It's another way of using your body's own energy to fuel electronics.

The shoe apparently has a very thin "crystal chip," perhaps a piezoelectric device, that generates power when the sole bends. It can charge phones via a long cable to a pocket while the user walks, or store power for later charging.

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"This charger works using pressure, as you walk you generate pressure that in turn generates... [Read more]

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Power deck: plug-in solar panel appliances being tested.

It's a green-energy geek's dream do-it-yourself project: attach a few solar panels to your deck and watch your electric bills go down. Now one company is selling such a product.

SpinRay Energy has developed a system that lets consumers install up to five solar panels on their decks and plug them into an outdoor power outlet. People can install one panel at a time, and get up to 1,000 watts of power with five installed.

The main electrical components of the system have the UL safety certification, including the solar panel and the microinverter, which converts direct current from the panels to household alternating current. If there is a loss of grid power, the panels will stop delivering current because it could be a danger to line workers, according to the company.

SpinRay Energy is selling the DIY kit through a few retailers, including Amazon. There are just a few reviews, but people who installed the panels say they work as advertised. The deck kit, sold for $1,099.95 on Amazon, comes with brackets that attach to a deck or for setting up panels in a yard. The panels should qualify users for... [Read more]

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Seeds are tricky things. On one hand, we have the whole Omnivore’s Dilemma argument, that industrialized and genetically engineered food is probably bad. And on the other, we have strains of vegetables that can grow four times as much produce on the same plot of land as their heirloom counterparts--a successful, man-dictated genetics that we’ve actually been fueling for millennia. After all, we wouldn’t have the heirloom seeds of today if our grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather hadn’t saved the seeds from the sweetest watermelons or the most drought-resistant cantaloupes.

I don’t know that any of us can honestly assess the repercussions of our actions, but I do know one thing: This National Geographic infographic by John Tomanio is staggering. Using the metaphor of a tree, it charts the loss of U.S. seed variety from 1903 to 1983. And what you see is that we’ve lost about 93% of our unique seed strands behind some of the most popular produce. (Clever details: Where the root system should be strong, Tomanio has rendered a tree that looks like it could tip right out of the ground.)

In 1903, we had almost 500 varieties of lettuce. By 1983, we had just 36. Radishes, peas, and beets have fared no better. In fact, the most steadfast of the crops has been the tomato, which, probably due to the popularity of strange and tasty heirloom varieties, only lost about 80% of its seed diversity. It’s a shame to lose so many intricacies of nature’s tastiest gifts. But more worryingly, monocultures strip the land of nutrients: Where you once had self-sustaining harvest cycles, you get farm land denuded of nutrients that then needs copious chemical fertilizers to grow more food. And the crops themselves become vulnerable to plant diseases.

Still, a lot has changed in the public consciousness since 1983. Farmers markets aren’t just for hippies anymore--they’re lifestyle statements for everyone from young foodies to soccer moms. And as long as this trend stays alive, so too will many of the heirloom seed strands we have remaining.

[Image: NixPhotography/Shutterstock]

Pollution prevention is one of the most solidly established green manufacturing practices in existence -- but has only been narrowly adopted to its full extent. Here's what you need to know to make P2 work for you.

Who says you can’t fend off mosquitoes with style? A Cornell University scientist from Kenya and a Gambian designer have developed a purple-and-gold hooded bodysuit impregnated with insecticides at the nano level. Designed to repel mosquitoes infected with malaria, a disease the kills an estimated 655,000 people in Africa each year, the prototype does insecticide-treated nets one better because it can be be worn throughout the day. And unlike skin-based repellants that dissipate easily, the molecular bonds in the fabric are almost impossible to break.

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Post tags: Africa Fashion, Africa Malaria, Anti-Malaria Body Suit, Conscientious Fashion, cornell university, disease prevention, nano technology, Science Fashion

The Turanor PlanetSolar, the first completely solar-powered boat to go all the way round the world, will finish its journey tomorrow. The catamaran will pull into Hercule Harbor in Monaco, the place it started, after 19 months at sea.

The world's largest solar-powered boat set off on September 27, 2010 and made its way across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, through the Panama and Suez canals and docked at Miami, Cancun, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and other ports along the way.

The PlanetSolar was made to be as lightweight and aerodynamic as possible. The 31x15 meter boat is made from carbon fiber and features 537 square meters of solar panels with a capacity of 93.5 kW, backed by a lithium-ion battery system. The route kept the boat and its four-person crew cruising as close to the equator as possible to provide the maximum amount of sunlight.

The project was masterminded by Raphael Domjan, an electronics engineer and outdoors enthusiast who wanted to do something big to promote the potential of solar power. I'd say mission accomplished.

When the boat reaches the finish line tomorrow, the solar power system on the boat will power a light show to celebrate. There will be a book and documentary released in September to coincide with the two-year anniversary of the beginning of the voyage.

via NY Times Green

It’s a well known fact that no one likes going to the dentist and very few of us actually follow the “brush and floss twice a day” routine prescribed to us. However, if you are one of those rare few who actually take their oral hygiene seriously but skip flossing just because finding the floss container and using it demands a bit more time than they like to spend, then the Oral Care Motivator Device by designer Christopher Santos can help you out.

Oral Care Motivator Device

The device helps people maintain a flossing habit consistently by integrating the floss container in the toothbrush stand itself. Users can set alarm times to remind them to floss in the morning or evening via a flashing light and a faint beep or hit the snooze button to set the alarm for the next programmed time. The unit runs on two AA batteries and can be paired with a Bluetooth device or a smartphone app that can be used to program the device remotely and set an alarm on the smartphone/Bluetooth device itself.

What makes the Oral Care Motivator Device really unique is that it also functions as a floss dispenser that allows users to simply hit a button to release the floss while another button cuts it down to a desired length. After you’re done flossing, the unit dispenses a half inch wick outside to give you a visual reminder to floss next time as well in case you miss the beeping and the flashing light. The compartment below the stand contained the floss spool which can be refilled when you run out. The Oral Care Motivator Device can be programmed individually for up to four users.

[Cheers Christopher]

There is a growing demand for electric bikes and it is understandable that more and more urban dwellers are looking towards pedal powered commuting options in order to cut down on both costs and emissions. But instead of simply picking up a bike, taking one with electric assist obviously helps a great deal and is a lot more practical. In case you are one of those who do not really mind getting to work, which is not too far off, in a bicycle, then you will obviously want one that has a lithium-ion battery attached to offer you an assist. The Smart electric bike from Daimler offers that sleek and powerful combination that you have been searching for.

Smart Electric Bike

The Electric Bike is now available in Europe and has already won several accolades like the ‘Best of the Best’ at Red Dot Awards. The makers of Smart are now all set to bring it to US soil as well and while there is no exact date on when the futuristic-looking electric bike will make that voyage across the Atlantic, you can at least rest assured that it will now be sooner than later. The electric bike comes with a 423W lithium-ion battery which can offer a range of up to 100 Km depending on the level of the electric-assist that you are using.

Smart’s Bike will feature four different electric –assist modes and with features such as regenerative breaking, the bike tries to offer you every advantage possible in terms of clean energy. While it costs € 2,849 in Germany for now, expect it to cost a tad bit less when it hits US shores since there is a tax factor to consider as well. The bike definitely seems like a perfect balance between form and function…

Via: Treehugger