Future Now (but only in California.)
Thursday, February 7th, 2008
What has 3 wheels, pull-up doors, and gets 330 miles per gallon?
No, that’s not a typo. The super-cool plug-in hybrid Aptera gets more than 10 times the gas mileage of the average new car. Its lightweight, ultra-aerodynamic design and super-luxe interior with room for 2 adults plus luggage and surfboards make it one of the most exciting contenders for the Automotive X Prize, a $10 million grant awarded by the X Foundation to the company that can develop a low-carbon, 100+ mpg car that can be put into production quickly.
While it may look like a prop car from Woody Allen’s Sleeper, the Aptera is actually being put into production now. Californians can log on to Aptera’s website and reserve one for a $500 deposit (ultimate retail price: $25,000 and change.) With 3 wheels, the Aptera is officially classed as a motorcycle, but it packs all the safety features of a conventional full-size car, including air bags. (more…)
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Products, Transportation | Permalink
Where Are Your Old Cellphones?
Saturday, January 26th, 2008
Our friends over at INFORM have started a new series called The Secret Life. First on the agenda: cellphones. These devices that have totally transformed communication over the past 20 years have also become too-synonymous with “disposable” leading to their being sent by the millions to landfills and incinerators. And yet, many, if not all, of the materials used to make them are reclaimable and/or recyclable.
INFORM has put together a great 5 minute video about the need for more cellphone recycling, while also showing in some detail what happens to these phones during the recycling process. We encourage you to check out their website, watch the video, and then take those old phones out of your junk drawer and find a way to recycle them (they provide the info on how to do just that, of course).
In addition, this seems like a great time to remind everyone about the Greener Gadgets Conference coming up this Friday, February 1st. Our recent Green Renter with conference co-chairs Marc Alt and Jill Fehrenbacher was a great overview of the need to re-think the design process for digital technology, complete with some great examples like the BOGOlight that the audience got to pass around and test out. We’ll have a video version of their presentation on our site soon, but you can register for the conference right now.
Cellphone image by Chris Jordan, taken from inhabitat.com
Posted in Pollution, Products, Recycling, Sustainability, Technology, Waste | Permalink
Looking for a Job? Try Green.
Friday, January 18th, 2008
It would be difficult to think of one sector with more growth prospects than services, products, and construction in the environmental sector. 80% of the carbon dioxide emissions from NYC is the result of building use. The retrofitting of hundreds of thousands of buildings to use less resources is a good financial investment–and can’t be outsourced. All kinds of products and services will be–and are–undergoing a redesign to focus more on resource consumption and environmental impact. This ranges everywhere from your brokerage firm to your dry cleaning to your contractor.
There was a recent summit in San Francisco called Advancing the New Energy Economy where attendees discussed advancing the long-term growth, financial stability, and job prospects of the new green economy. Read more in a Sustanablog post.
Posted in New York City, Products, Sustainability | Permalink
The Long Awaited Solar Laptop Bag Arrives
Friday, January 11th, 2008
We have written about Voltaic’s solar-powered backpacks and messenger bags before, but the question was always, can it charge a laptop? A computer obviously needs much more juice than a cellphone, but true to their word, Voltaic has just introduced a new laptop bag, dubbed “The Generator”, with enough solar power to produce a laptop-worthy 14.7 watts. Pricey–at $599–but a worthy product that will charge your batteries as you walk around, bag on shoulder.
Posted in Photovoltaics, Products | Permalink
Show Support for Upcoming eWaste bill in NYC
Thursday, January 3rd, 2008
With all the new gizmos coming into apartments as holiday gifts, an equally impressive stream of outdated electronics gets jettisoned to make room in tight apartments. The toxic metals in these throw away items is something we have written about before, and are something that politicians are taking more notice of.
We wrote about the bill in October, and it looks as if City Council is nearing a decision on a great step forward to making electronics recycling easier and more widespread. It would require manufacturers to be responsible for the recycling of increasing percentages of their products–25% in 2012 and 65% in 2018 (NYT). Many people are very excited about this and are encouraging emails and phone calls to the City Council. Heads up from no less than No Impact Man himself. (Read his post for the contact info)
Posted in Products, Recycling, Waste | Permalink
A waterless urinal for the holidays
Wednesday, December 12th, 2007
Prod your boss to get the office a present this holiday: a waterless urinal. (I know, I know…ewww! But hold on one second,) Waterless urinals eliminate the most unsanitary part of the bathroom–standing water. By utilizing the fact that oil always floats on water, and they never mix, the devices use sanitary, clean smelling oils to push urine down the drain and keep the room smelling fresh. Far from dirty-hippy toilets, waterless urinals and low-water, high pressure toilets are clean modern products, and evidence suggests that they help stop the spread of bacteria.
Posted in Products, Water | Permalink
Union Square Holiday Market Offers Some Nifty Options
Monday, December 3rd, 2007
While the Union Square Green Market is not has hopping as it is during the summer, the Holiday Market will be with us through the end of the season. There are over 100 vendors, and some decent options for local and environmentally conscious goods and toys. Explore them for yourself–and do some of your shopping out of a store and away from the computer.
Photo by ShellyS on Flickr
Posted in New York City, Products | Permalink
Looking for that trendy new bag? How about a solar one.
Tuesday, November 6th, 2007
Voltaic Systems has been engineering high quality solar-powered backpacks and messenger bags for over three years now. The line comes with a ridiculous assortment of different adapters to plug your electronics into the bag, and you can even order a expansion pack with more adapters if you so desire. The bags’ panels and battery pack can charge your iPod, cellphone, camera, and more on the go. What it cannot do (yet) is charge your laptop. They have gotten some high profile press in the past, and you can get them at stores around New York or online.
Posted in Products | Permalink
