I received a link from a friend recently about Rachel Botsman and the ‘rise of collaborative consumption’ called “What’s mine is Yours”. She has collaborated to write a book about recycling and reusing on a truly global level. This is a theme that has been on the rise, and gaining speed. Pass the link on, it is really inspirational. Retailers won’t like it because it will reduce sales. But this is about waste and re use, not creating more waste and consumerism.

Rachel is a compelling speaker, and her talk on TED.com is great. This is well worth the watch.

Ted.com  is about ‘ideas worth spreading’ and a site worthy of frequent visits for tangible content, not fluff and gossip.

Enjoy!

ECO (Earth Conscious Optics) has created a line of eyewear using high quality recycled metal and plastics. They have a program that plants a tree in Africa or Southeast Asia for every pair of frames sold. They also have a program that recycles glasses that people no longer use, and distributes these to people in need of eyewear in Africa and Southeast Asia in conjunction with One Sight.

One Sight is an organization that sends Ophthalmologists to Africa and Southeast Asia to perform eye exams on people that might not otherwise have the opportunity to have their eyes examined. 

Please visit the site here:

And article here:

I have an interesting guest posting from Jane Mcguire today:

Are you aware that a North Carolina State University team has demonstrated that water gel-based solar devices (known as: “artificial leaves”) can work like solar cells to create electricity?

The analysis has been published on-line in the Journal of Materials Chemistry by Doctor Orlin Velev, an Invista Professor of Chemical and Bio-molecular Engineering.

The studies prove the concept for making solar cells that more closely simulate nature. They also have the potential to be cheaper and more eco-friendly than the present standard silicon based solar cells.

The bendable devices are composed of water-based gel infused together with light-sensitive molecules (like plant chlorophyll) coupled with electrodes coated by carbon elements, such as carbon nanotubes or graphite.

Graphene is the simple structural element of some carbon allotropes including graphite, carbon nanotubes and fullerenes. Graphene is a 1-atom thick planar sheet of carbon atoms that are largely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice. The title comes from graphite ene; graphite itself consists of numerous graphene sheets stacked together.

The light-sensitive molecules get “excited” by the sun’s rays to create electricity, similar to plant molecules that get excited to synthesize sugars in order to grow.

Dr. Velev states that the research team hopes to be able to “learn how to mimic the materials through which nature harnesses solar energy.” Although man made light-sensitive molecules can be used, Velev says naturally derived products, like chlorophyll, are also effortlessly integrated in these units because of their particular water-gel matrix.

Velev even imagines a future in which roofs could be covered with soft sheets of similar electrical power-generating man-made-leaf solar cells. The concept of biochemically inspired ’soft’ devices for generating electricity may in the future offer an alternative for the present-day solid-state technologies.

About the Author: Colleen Jane Mcguire is currently writing for the http://www.solarwaterfountains.org blog, her personal hobby web log is focused on guidelines to help homeowners spend a smaller amount of energy with solar energy.

Reference: Aqueous soft matter based photovoltaic or pv devices. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 2011; DOI: http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2011/JM/c0jm01820a

Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre at Ecovative Design have started producing an amazing product called Mycobond. This is a product they have developed using conventional waste products such as seed husks, and bind them together using mycelium (mushroom roots). “We don’t manufacture materials, we grow them” stated McIntyre to the media recently. The result is a white material that looks and feels a lot like Styrofoam. Since the materials are all natural and fully compostable (they can be tossed into the garden to begin composting), high performance and low cost is the result.

Mycobond uses 1/8^th the energy and 1/10^th the carbon dioxide that standard foam materials require.

They have gotten a lot of support from various sources such as the EPA, the NCIIA (National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance) gave them a $20,000 grant and they recently won $250,000 from the Post Code Lottery Green Challenge.

Their goal is to completely eliminate all petroleum based foams and packing materials. Foam waste takes up the highest mass in our landfills- but it doesn’t break down, and we’re running out of landfill space.

GO GUYS!

EcovativeDesign.com

Ecovativedesign- greensulate insulation

China has come up with an innovative way to reduce carbon emissions and relieve congested metropolitan areas. They have developed what is being called a “straddling bus” that allows vehicles less than 2 meters tall to pass under the busses. This was first exhibited at the 13^th Beijing International High-Tech Expo in May of this year, with hopes of putting a model into pilot use in Beijing’s Mentougou district in the near future.

These large sized busses have a ground clearance of 4 to 4.5 meters and 6 meters wide, and are comprised of two levels- the upper levels will be designated as passenger space, and the lower level will be for the passage of normal sized vehicles.

The “straddling Bus” will be powered by solar energy and electricity with a top speed of 60 km/h (37 mph) carrying a maximum passenger load of 1200 to 1400 in one trip (about 300 per cart). It also has an emergency exit ladder built in, in case evacuation is necessary. It is also estimated that this bus will save approximately 860 tons of fuel each year.

Bourne Energy has come up with a portable hydro electric energy source.

Packed up, it measures 3’ in length, and weighs less than 25 lbs (Type 2, BPP-2, military version). A self contained system, it has its own integrated power, control, cooling and sensor systems. It collapses into 3 major parts which fit into a round backpack. This unit produces up to 600w (depending on river current), it operates silently with no heat or exhaust emissions. These can be set up singularly or in arrays of over 20kw.

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Of the new electric cars that are making headlines, this car looks very exciting. Think City Electric Car has come up with a design that can travel up to 100 miles on a single charge, and can be charged using an onboard AC charger. It will do an 80% charge in just 15 minutes! It has room for four with optional back seats. It also has electric windows and mirrors, central locking, 2 front airbags, ABS brakes and regenerative braking!

Click here to check out their site: