Who would have thought you can do a load of good to the environment while you listen to music. The Sunny Song speakers work on solar energy and are based on the NXT panel technology. The unique smart flower design certainly looks great and for easy functionality, the speakers can be connected to players with a Bluetooth technology. Innovation ahoy! 
Getting rid of old and malfunctioned keyboards can be quite a task as they sit in the garage eating dust and adding to clutter. In the past, we have seen an armchair and photo frame made from recycled keyboards, the newest addition is the Keyboard Viper created by Korean artist Choi Jung Hyun. This flawless design has put innumerable keys to use and playfully surrounded with mice too. It is certainly a great way to put recycle and create something beautiful too. What are you waiting for? Get to your garage, dig out those dead keyboards and let your creativity flow!
A team of 150 students from michigan university has unveiled the 10th-generation
U-M solar vehicle 'Infinium', at The Henry Ford Museum. This solar vehicle is likely to be the most competitive car in the team’s history with a capacity to travel a whopping 300 miles, without the sun. Infinium uses space-grade solar cell, which are comparable to those used by NASA in its satellites. Along with this, this car also uses an in-wheel electric motor designed for solar cars, which increases its efficiency at 98 percent. Whats even more amazing is the fact that the collaboration among students from different majors allowed the team to design, build, finance, market, and race the 'infinium' solar car.
Trees are an essential part of the eco-system and play an important part in cleansing the air and saving our lungs from all the pollution in the air. Seung Jun Jeong has designed an artificial tree that includes a seating ring at the base and LED lights to warm up the ambiences too. The round base includes an electronic fan that sucks in the air around it and pumps it through the HEPA filters to remove all impurities. The fresh air is then released from the top of the structure that does a load of good for the environment. This artificial tree will certainly work wonders at crowded malls, where the percentage of oxygen keeps dropping with everybody indulging in retail therapy and while its not purifying air ,this tree can be a good place to rest your tired feet as well.
After cars, buses and airplanes, yachts are the latest to get a solar powered design. The 30 feet Tartaruga solar powered concept yacht design can comfortably accommodate 4 people. Its 40 square meter area of photovoltaic panels supported by high-efficient batteries and this solar-catamaran can achieve a speed of 7 knots, similar to a normal sailing boat. The boat also accommodates a double bed and two-single beds in two separate areas, a fully equipped kitchen, a large multi-storage area and a bathroom with a shower. Its multifunctional interior can be transformed from a common dining table to a driving-seating position and a double bed for resting. 
All of us are aware of the scarcity of resources and the hardships faced by people in Africa. Electricity is also very unreliable there and keeping this in mind, the Pop!Tech conference, Sheila Kennedy of thePortable Light project, and bag-makers Timbuk2, have collaborated to create the FLAP -- Flexible Light and Power – bags. These messenger bags have a removable flap with a solar panel that charges a built-in LED light and USB connection. Erik Hersman, the founder of AfriGadget, a blog that showcases the creativity of people "bending the little they have to their will” is traveling through Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda, meeting with motorcycle mechanics, tailors, and roadside food vendors to try and find out if the solar-powered messenger bag is useful to them. So far the bag has drawn a positive response from the locals and Hersman is documenting these reactions with video interviews and blog entries on his site.
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NYSE: STP), the world's largest crystalline silicon photovoltaic module manufacturer, announced its selection by Aldar Properties PJSC to supply over 1,120 solar panels for a 292 kW solar system for The Shams Tower, an iconic building on Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi based solar power system integrator, Enviromena, will design and install the solar system and Aldar,Abu Dhabi's leading property development, management and investment company will develop the project. 
You will agree with me when I say, trashcans never looked so good! The Veilo concept trashcan has a futuristic design that provides a sense of decorative sophistication. The side fabric covers of this green bin are customizable too. It features a smart way to reuse the plastic grocery bags as trash bags and the open loop and open body of this bin allow the user to remove trash bags easily without much hassle. 
Japan had decided to launch its first EV (Electric Vehicle) bus by 2012 and the first prototype is set to release by 2010. To give momentum to the project, Kanagawa Prefecture, Isuzu, Toshiba, Tpeco and Keio University stepped in to carry the work forward. These companies are now committed to give Japanese some clean and eco-friendly buses to travel in. Being electric, these buses are certain to reduce emission of harmful gases and save fuel. Even the design looks awesome and I’m sure a lot of Japanese people are waiting to hop a ride on this one.
Looks like T-Mobile has also joined the eco-friendly bandwagon and taking the appropriate steps for the same. In a bid to conserve paper, T-Mobile has slapped an extra charge of $1.50 per month on its customers for the privilege of receiving a paper bill on top of an existing $2 charge for detailed paper billing. Seems like a great move as a lot of customers will choose to receive their bill via email and help save a lot of paper used for the actual bill and the envelope carrying it. Some people have slammed this move too saying T-Mobile is trying to cut the cost of printing and distributing the bill to its customers. Whatever the reason, as long as it is doing some good for the environment, we are happy.
Four Scandinavian industrial companies have collaborated with SINTEF to create a “mini power-station” for heavy goods vehicles like fork-lift trucks. Most of the times the vehicles are left in neutral with the engine running to power the heating, cooling, AC or TV, while the drivers make the required halt. This alone could generate 1.1 million tones of CO2 a year, more than the total emissions produced by all Norwegian road transport. This is certain to harm the environment and after understanding this, Volvo Technology AB, StatoilHydro ASA, the Danish company H2 Logic AS, Powercell Sweden AB and SINTEF have joined forces to develop a new hydrogen-driven fuel-cell system, called fuel cells that will be an important aspect of efforts to greatly reduce CO2 emissions of this sort.
The Cardozo family, comprising of Gilo Cardozo, 30, his brothers Cosmo, 26, and Damian, 39, along with Damian's daughter Tilly, 17, and five other pilots set a new record with a solar powered flight. They traveled 1,242 miles from Monte Carlo to Morocco in an electric paramotor powered by the sun. The journey lasted for 15 days and took them through France and Spain and even over the shark-infested waters of the Straits of Gibraltar. The plane used electric paramotors powered by lithium polymer batteries, which were charged in rotation using 12 solar panels on top of a support vehicle.
Looks like Samasung has commited itself to making eco-friendly gadgets. Over the past it has launched the Blue Earth, Clover and Solar Guru phones. With the Samsung E1107, It has added yet another gem to its list. This phone is made from 80 percent recycled materials and also includes a 1.2 mm thin solar panel that claims to revive a dead battery after just 15 minutes in the sun. Other than FM radio and flashlight features, this phone also includes the "Eco" profile, which essentially just changes screen brightness and turns the Bluetooth off. This phone is rather cheap at $59, but you may have to get an importer as we don't expect this tree hugger to land stateside any time soon.
[Engadget]
Who ever said that electric cars will never make it big, think again. The electric car makers Tesla Motors zoomed to profits for the first time this July. These proud manufacturers of the Roadster, the electric sports car that is faster than a Porsche and boasts a range of 244 miles between charges, said that it delivered profits of $1m (£600,000) on sales of $20m last month. This is the result of the 109 Roadsters being shipped in July. The company also indicated that the profits were recorded independently of the $465m in low-interest loans that Tesla was recently awarded by the US government and has been earmarked for the development of the Model S – an electric Sedan that the firm is positioning as an affordable mainstream alternative to the Roadster. 
Turkey is all set to develop the ‘greenest’ project in Istanbul’s new residential and business district. This was confirmed by RMJM, who released the details of this mammoth the US $1 billion development project. Set on 107,000 sq m, this project features panoramic views stretching from the Bosphorus Strait in the west to the Princes’ Islands and the Sea of Marmara to the south, the development has been commissioned by Turkish real estate development company VARYAP that is a part of Varlibas Group International. The project includes a 60-storey tower, 1,500 residential units, a five-star hotel, offices and conference facilities with landscaped public areas and parking facilities. The project, which is expected to serve 20,000 people, is scheduled to be completed in 2011. 
