• Solar-powered ASV Roboat moves ahead in the green race

    Posted in Alternative Energy, Transport on December 5, 2008

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    What is green about the first world robotic sailing champion? Dubbed, the ASV Roboat, this autonomous sailboat is making waves in the world of travel and navigation technology. Fitted with sensors, it can easily sail around pre-set race courses or even simply reach any nautical destination without human support. We’ll talk about its techie features after the jump and focus on the eco-friendly element for now. The Solar panels on the Roboat lend a green trait and also make it independent of carbon emitting gasoline. Moreover there’s a direct methanol fuel cell to top up the batteries as a backup.

  • Recycled Glass Tree Globes spreads heartfelt sentiments

    Posted in Recycle on December 4, 2008

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    As our globe is victimized by environmental abuses as well as terrorism, it is time to settle for some peaceful moments with any or all of these Recycled Glass Tree Globes. Beautifully designed by Stephen Kitras, this collection evokes the sentiments associated with a nourishing tree. With his ability to create a delicate interior trunk within the globe, Stephen has come up with this latest collection to beautify your dens right in time for Christmas. Hand crafted out of 100% recycled glass, you can pick one from Tree of Family, Tree of Peace, Tree of Joy or Tree of Love. Priced at $45 only, I would love to hold Tree of Peace as it encapsulates the beauty and tranquility of nature to signify the message of tolerance, acceptance and compassion.

    California’s eco-friendly wineries dole out green wines

    Posted in Alternative Energy on December 4, 2008

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    As you sip down the sparkling wine have you ever wondered that this tasteful, healthy drink also leaves its share of carbon footprint on our planet? A study states that producing one bottle of wine creates more than a pound of waste, and puts 16 grams of sulfur dioxide into the air. California houses over 2,500 bonded wineries and about 192 million cases of California wine were produced in 2008 that accounts to 90% of total US production. Now you can calculate the effect this brew are implicating on our environment. However trust California to take corrective measure to clean their environment. To keep up to the state’s green drift, even the wineries are doing their part to reduce their carbon footprint while still producing great wine. Many of them have turned to alternative energies like bio-diesel and solar panels to power up the whole setup. Also eco-friendly, recyclable and bio-degradable materials are being used for packaging.

    2009 Honda Insight hybrid will soon hit North American rods

    Posted in Transport on December 4, 2008

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    North American eco-enthusiasts have one more reason to wait for the forthcoming 2009, as the latest green Honda baby is all set to show its true colors at the North American International Auto Show, Detroit. The 2009 Honda Insight hybrid is expected to debut in January but will hit the roads in spring. Touted as being the least expensive hybrid in the world, it will utilize a new interactive, driver-focused fuel economy enhancement technology named the Ecological Drive Assist System. The maker is targeting annual global sales of 200,000 units per year, with about100,000 in North America only. Tagged at about $19,000, it is certainly more affordable eco-car than the Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius.

    Eco-conscious Benedictine Nuns look forward to the eco-friendly monastery

    Posted in Alternative Energy on December 3, 2008

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    After the Pope, it’s the nuns who intend to lead a green lifestyle now. Gaurdian reports that he Benedictine nuns of the Conventus of Our Lady of Consolation are all geared up for a greener location. An environmentally sensitive monastery is being built in the North York Moors national park for the purpose. Powered by solar panels, this monastery will also preach green with other eco-friendly features like rainwater harvesting, reedbed sewage systems, sedum roofs, recycled material, woodchip boiler and responsibly-sourced timber. Such a dwelling is in stark contrast to the current address of Stanbrook Abbey, Worcestershire that boasts of Victorian splendor.

    Solar power via Space Solar is out of reach

    Posted in Alternative Energy on December 3, 2008

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    Addressing the need to absorb most of the sun’s energy, Eli Hariton has conceived Space Solar. Thinking out of the box, the designer has realised that the earth’s atmosphere obstructs the penetration of all of the solar rays. And since solar crafts and satellites (almost) run on sun’s energy, why not deploy them to direct the abundance of unhindered solar power to earth? About ten to twenty football field sized solar arrays can be used to generate thousands of kilowatts per hour! This energy will see its way down to every corner of our blue planet via microwaves. And since these satellites are orbiting around the earth, they never stand a chance to be in dark. So earthlings can enjoy the liberty of unlimited solar energy all through the day as well as night.

    Free eco-friendly ‘intelligent’ refrigerators for UK residents

    Posted in Gadgets and Tech on December 3, 2008

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    If your postal address reads UK, then you might stand a chance to welcome a free intelligent refrigerator into your dens. However it isn’t yet clear about how and when one can test his/her luck to chill out with this smart yet eco-friendly kitchen appliance. It is reported that 3000 “intelligent” refrigerators, which will adapt their power use to the ebb and flow of demands on the national electricity grid, are to be given away in a trial by the UK government next year. To attest its green trait, Department of Energy and Climate Change stated that based on such a dynamic demand technology, gadgets can help Britain to save about 2m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year and a further £222m in energy savings.

    Eco-friendly laser printers to reduce burden on landfills

    Posted in Gadgets and Tech on December 3, 2008

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    This one is for those people who are ignorant about their carbon footprints by means of relentless printing on papers. Just recently, a company named, Brother, has unleashed two new laser printers, the HL-4040CDN and the MFC-9450CDN. Sporting an automatic duplex printing feature, these printers print on both the sides of the page which helps to reduce the wastage of paper. This means lesser papers will see their way to landfills. The first one of the duo, the HL-4040CDN, along with the dual-sided printing feature also includes 21ppm print speeds for black and white and color pages as well as maximum print quality of 2400x600dpi.

    Shanghai Tower – The greenest and the tallest tower of China

    Posted in Architecture on December 2, 2008

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    China’s blue (though hazy) skyline will soon boast of a green tower rising high to cut through all the non-eco-friendly attention that the country has garnered over a period. Spiraling through the air, it looks like it is being drilled out of the earth to make a benchmark as a dominating green summit. Christened as the Shanghai Tower, the force behind this 632 meters tall skyscraper is Gensler. Located at Luijiazui Finance and Trade Zone, it is stands out with a set of nine cylindrical buildings stacked on top of each other. A triangular outer façade encloses the entire structure, giving rise to nine sky gardens, which serve as public spaces. The mixed-use structure will house businesses, restaurants, cafés, coffee shops and convenience stores.

    Red fire fighting trucks flaunt a green solar roof in Pennsylvania

    Posted in Alternative Energy on December 2, 2008

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    Emergency service vehicles go Green! Last month I wrote about the solar powered ambulances from Mumbai, India. But today, I am back with solar powered fire trucks that are driving up and down the town of Shawnee in Pennsylvania, United States. Intending to cut down their carbon footprints, the Fire department worked on a trial project to gauge the effectiveness and efficiency of solar powered fire trucks. Solar panels fitted on the roof of these trucks are expected to power up the necessary equipment like firefighters’ battery-powered flashlights, portable radios, thermal imaging cameras and the Mobile Data Terminal, within the trucks when the ignition is turned off. Also these cool red beasts are left running to keep the hoses from freezing when the temperature drops.
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