Ecofriend

Traveling into the future, about two decades ahead, moving about is going to be more fun, green and of course, modish. I simply hope to live that long to benefit from the avant-garde eco concepts looming over the future horizon. Today it’s the 2030 car concept that has tempted me to pray to God to bless me with a healthy long life. Conceptualized by Mihai Stamati and dubbed the 2030 concept, this solar powered car is big enough to allow four to five folks to ride comfortably. It’s the concept of collapsing for city rides and spreading out for wider roads that has added on to its merit. The roof is plastered with solar panels that juice up this spacious green vehicle.

Spain is the home of bullfighting, and after Euro 2008 one would say that it is pretty much the hot hub of soccer in Europe. But the “heat” in Spain is only going to increase further and be put to further good use with the World’s Largest Solar Power Plant taking shape in the Spanish region of Castile-La Mancha. When it is completed the plant will be spread well over 100 hectares! This giant project has been undertaken by Spanish energy firm Avanzalia with the help of Kyocera.

LEDs are the most brilliant little things to work with if you are stuck in a low-end electronics project, and if you have toughed it out in an electronic lab for any amount of time then you will know that these charming little lights can really light up both your day and the space around you. But the best part is that they allow you to cut out on energy as much as good 80% compared with conventional lighting options. The Spark Lamp is one such high-end LED powered gadget that will allow you to go green with your tranquil and serene bedroom lighting.

The other day I saw a Gothic book face that looked studiously cool, and I thought that it was the best thing that one could have done with abandoned books. I now believe that it was too early to dub it as the best art with books, for there are others (Jonathan Callan), who can create eye-catching magic with books. The image atop and the ones after the jump reveal some real creativity with abandoned books. Although we have been taught to treasure books ever since school, I guess we can sacrifice that habit in the name of art. This unique form of art was on display at the Brussels Art Fair 2008, and it certainly had onlookers mesmerized.

The face saving act is one thing but showing concern is what matters. In this case it is the concern that makes Electronic giant Sharp think about saving the energy used by their LCD screens. Sharp is keen to demonstrate a new technology that uses solar panels to juice up the giant LCD screens. Sharp will demonstrate the usage of solar panels at the IFA electronics show in Berlin. What would help Sharp develop such products in the future is that the corporation is also a massive manufacturer of solar panels. As far as the event is concerned, their corner would demonstrate a 200Kwh solar panel powering an LCD screen for four and a half hours. By doing this, Sharp wants to spread awareness regarding the importance of solar energy and the company hopes that people would understand and apply the same to save the energy that could be used for other fruitful endeavors. It comes as no surprise to us that Sharp is among the Top 100 Companies that spend on research and development.

Source: Cleantechnica

There are quite a few projects across the world that are trying to turn the desert in to farming space both because the remaining planet is struggling to find new land for agriculture and the number of mouths the world needs to feed is growing at a blurring rate. This has forced engineers and designers to turn to deserts to try and eek out anything that is possible. One of the theoretically simple solutions has always been to desalinate the water from the oceans and to make use of the newly available fresh water. But it is one thing to write that day and a whole different ballgame when it comes to execution.

The first time we actually heard of the Home Energy’s wood pellet boilers, like many others we thought that it was a very bad idea. At the end of the day, little good could come out of burning wood and extracting energy from it. The perception was that it is detrimental to the planet in more ways than just one. But the actual facts show that these new boilers are far more effective than the traditional ones that use fossil fuel.

It is not very often that you get to harness clean energy in such a simple and hassle-free way, and while many experts believe that putting up wind turbines in urban environments is not a viable option even in the long run, we are reaching a point where ecology is taking over the economy part. While you may initially have to spend a bit more than you would wish to, this delightful little wind turbine will most likely woo you enough to get a bit loose with your pocket strings. The Energy Ball is all about spinning around in a silent way to make up for your energy needs.

It is indeed time for the world to try and shift the power source of its gadgets from the conventional sources to renewable ones, and if you actually end up changing all your gadgets into ones that run on clean energy, then you would be saving huge chunks of energy. Snippy is a gadget that allows you to let your electronic viewer be powered by the sun. Its simple and efficient design along with its little solar panel makes it a convenient way to stay in touch with all that is happening.

If you wanted to recycle an old car into something useful then probably the best thing to do would be to come up a re-done version that uses some modern car kit to patch up the old scrap and get it going again. If you love what lies under the hood then you might just squeeze in a V8 engine and then roar around the streets. But making a giant snail out of a 1966 Volkswagen—that is not something you would do unless you are blacksmith John Sarriugarte.

The latest car to emerge in the Peugeot design competition is the Peugeot Stylight. Designed by Ognyan Bozhilov from Bulgaria, this hybrid 3-seater offers a comfortable drive. Just like Batman’s famous Batmobile, this car with its awesomely engineered hood offers a retro-modern sleek look. The onboard gadgets include a big windshield for a clear view, side-view windows and receptive LED lights that appear brighter each time the driver presses the brakes. Also, there are two spinning 10-spoke rims mounted under a glowing Peugeot logo for the front tires, which enhances the appeal of the car. All this is topped with an eco-friendly 1.6 liter HDI engine that combines biofuels and electricity.

We all know about the utilitiy of LED lights. Hence there is no point of comparison between them and the traditional lightbulbs or energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL). Did you know that CFL, which is said to be superior, has traces of mercury inside making them extremely dangerous to dispose of in case they break? The whole thing makes us ponder whether there are safe and environmentally friendly lighting alternatives. To combat this growing environmental woe, Frog Design has designed a concept called the LED lightbulb.

If you want an automobile with a twist, look no further than the Peugeot OXO. Unlike conventional cars, this one doesn’t require the driver to have any driving skills. Why is that? Because that’s the USP of this car! The makers claim that driving this car is extremely simple and uncomplicated, thanks to the easily understandable instructions about the car. This stylish four wheeler, apart from being slender, also runs on electricity, making this a space saver and also very environmentally friendly, ultimately resulting in an indisputably radical mobile.

I am big fan of stylishly crafted eco-friendly products and would vouch for anything that’s made of out recycled materials. In the past we featured an interesting design made out of skateboards, however this one is the newest edition to that list. The reused skateboard stairs concept was developed by a guy named Ted for his skateboard school. Each board is designed in a manner that it beautifully merges fashion with utility. The curve on the edges along with the handrails provides more stability to the stairs, which makes this a marvelous design!

Via: BoingBoing

Cleaning up the planet from plastic litter is one of the hardest things to do. Plastic is considered a serious environmental problem as it is one of the most widely used materials in every industry, and it comes in plenty of forms and shapes which are widespread and available easily. The hardest part of dealing with plastic is finding an alternative to the material, as it is both cheap and easy to use. Yet many companies are coming up with strategic plans to slowly eliminate the hazard from their systems, and Olympus has joined that green bandwagon.