ECONA, not to be confused with the Econo or the ECO Showerdrop, is a water-saving device that could change the way you view (literally!) your water consumption at home. This gadget won the Concurso Nuevo Diseño 2008 (New Design Competition) in the ecodesign category.
TreeHugger readers have a love/hate relationship with London designer Ross Lovegrove; most loved his solar trees and hated his car on a stick. He is at it again with his Alpine Capsule,
A compact shelter where one may spend the evening admiring the stars and the beautiful surrounding mountain range. It would offer the opportunity of overnight stays within a spectacular 360 degree view.
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Image via Yanko Design
We wish that alkaline batteries were on the way out the door. But reality is that disposable batteries be around for quite awhile longer. Thankfully, though, we have rechargeable options, and clever thinkers are figuring out how to use renewable energy to recharge them. So they’re at least a little bit less burdensome on the environment. ...
Everyone dreams of a Jetson car. If a practical flying car became reality, overcoming friction and traffic jams could be part of the equation for a fuel-efficient future. Is it possible that a Skycar could be proven technology before the end of 2009?
Photo via Yanko Design
A clever way to get someone to think twice about turning on the light is to require them to think before they’re even able to turn it on.
A concept design by Mingyu Jeung does exactly this. ...
Photo via Phillie Casablanca
PCWorld has shown off the winners of the LG Japan Mobile Design Contest. Some of the designs are really innovative, and we thought it would be fun to take the brainstorming a step further and think about how environmental concerns could make it onto our phones, like a Top Five Friends lists.
Photo via Yanko Design
The Rake and Take is a cardboard composter that wants to offer itself as an alternative to plastic bags when it comes to yard work.
There are some obvious cons to this concept...but also some pros that will have you scratching your head on whether or not you think this is green. ...
Photo by Frozen Canuck
Movement inside the bubble of plug-in vehicle technology known as “vehicle to grid” has been noted in Colorado since this past March, 2008. Xcel Energy in Boulder County has finally initiated their $150,000 funded Phase One of their plan to put the theory of vehicle to grid in practice under the watchful guise of four Toyota Prius plug-in hybrids.
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When we previously presented Danish designer N55's walking house it was just a model, and we asked miniHome designer Andy Thomson what he thought of it; he suggested "You should tell them wheels will be cheaper!" I never thought it would get past the model stage. But if you watch the video you will see that, remarkabl...
Finally, Redesigned 2010 Toyota Prius
A member of the PriusChat forums has posted 5 shots of the new redesigned 2010 Toyota Prius, and Toyota has confirmed on its official blog that it was the real deal, though without any other details.
More photos below the fold....
Wireless Soil Sensors to Improve Farming
Researchers at Iowa State University have developed wireless soil sensors that could bring agriculture in the information age (more than it already is) and make farming much more efficient.
The goal would be to put these sensors about 1 foot underground in a grid pattern (80 to 160 feet apart) and have them gather information about how water moves through a field, soil moisture, help understand the carbon and nitrogen cycles within soils, which nutrients are present or missing, soil temperature, etc. Read on for more details....
Earthfirst titles a post " Nokia Cell Phone Made of Sustainably Harvested Wood", thinks it a lovely idea and quotes Cellphone Beat, which writes in Nokia goes green with wooden body phone " This Nokia eco-friendly concept flaunts a wooden body made from sustainable timber. The design features an 8-megapixel camera, bluetooth, speaker and a Symbian S60 Operating System." ...
20 architects designed houses for the Gene 20 Architecture International Project. MVRDV "designed a house which maintained gigantic window scene, within this window scene there consist various elements of spatial topics, each spatial topic, according to residential demand, is able to reformat, to reach the maximum desired living atmosphere."
huh?...
Image Credit: Electrolux Design Lab
This concept fridge looks like it could be a very interesting solution to the problem with energy sucking cold beasts. While creators at Electrolux Design Lab 2008 had their eye on style and practicality, we look at it and see potential for big energy savings....
Ricardo Baiáo has some very cool concepts for products that utilize alternative renewable energy sources. A solar powered outdoor stereo system, a futuristic golf car-style EV, and a kineticly charged cell phone are three of the ideas shown of at the Innovation Pipeline of West Coast Green 2008.
The Sunflower - pictured above - is a cd player and loudspeaker system that charges via sunlight. It's a cool-looking way to have a renewably powered party on your patio. The concept is just one of many bouncing around in Baiáo's head. Get a closer look at his other innovations after the jump. ...
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