Eco Factor: Christmas tree with 16,000 bulbs to be powered by solar energy.
We still have more than a month left before Christmas, but there are many who have already started preparing for the celebrations. Brisbane is one of the first to have announced their Christmas calendar, which will include the world’s largest solar-powered Christmas tree.
Eco Factor: Zero-emission electric vehicle designed to run on renewable energy.
Renewable energy company EarthSure has announced that the company is planning to build an electric vehicle that will harness solar and wind energy to fuel its battery bank. Dubbed AirRay, the patent pending design will be equipped with a solar roof and four wind turbines to provide all necessary electricity to keep the batteries charged up.
Eco Factor: Concept lamp depicts the virtues of trees and their importance.
Industrial designer Kitae Pak has come up with a concept lamp that encourages people to think about the environment and its dependence on trees. Dubbed Tree & Root, the concept lamp features a pot and a tree, which when turned down signifies a dead root and when upright it illuminates the room.
Eco Factor: Laptop cooler made from sustainable materials.
With the market already flooding with notebook coolers of different makes, designs and features, Macally has launched a new range of notebook coolers that are made from sustainable bamboo.
Eco Factor: Prototype house generates renewable electricity and reuses gray water.
Broadway Malyan has designed a prototype sustainable dwelling for Sime Darby Property of Malaysia that will be used as an example of affordable green dwellings for the eco-conscious homeowners. The zero carbon residence generates energy for itself and harnesses wastewater for reuse.
Eco Factor: NASA converts unmanned airplanes into climate scouts.
With an ability to stay in the air for more than a day and an operating range of 3400 miles, two Northrop Grumman RQ-4 UAVs have been handed over to NASA for a new assignment. NASA has transformed these UAVs from warplanes to environmental scouts and they will be used for environmental research flights.
Eco Factor: Zero-emission car designed to be powered by an electric engine.
Massachusetts-based Factory Five, the world’s leading designer and seller of kit cars, has showcased an all-electric version of a 1933 hot rod that according to the company can reach a speed of 100kph in under 4 seconds and has a range of about 160km.
Eco Factor: Zero-emission vehicle designed to be powered by electricity.
Designers have always worked hard to show us the world of the future as they envision it to be in their dreams. We all know that with fossil fuel sources depleting at the rate they are today, auto makers will be forced to design vehicles that get powered by alternative fuels.
Eco Factor: Healthcare facility reuses water and generates renewable energy.
China’s Shunde Architectural Design Institute has teamed up with American HMC Architects to produce the first-of-its-kind healthcare facility in China. The proposal integrates the medicine and culture of the East with the innovations of the West under one functional roof.
Eco Factor: New flower species absorbs nitrogen oxide and takes out heat from the atmosphere.
Toyota is regularly being criticized by rivals, who claim that the company’s Prius isn’t as green as other vehicles once the car’s manufacturing process is taken into consideration. The criticism has forced Toyota to think about greener alternatives that could reduce carbon emissions produced during the Prius’ assembly operations.
