Bjarke Svendsen | posted on August 28, 2008

As energy prices continue to climb, the idea of tapping the power of the sun may seem like a no-brainer. The process of getting solar panels installed, however, is quite the opposite, fraught with spreadsheets, technical details and terms like “albedo.” …read full discussion

Luke Anderson | posted on August 28, 2008

We’ve all seen the solar gadgets which promise to provide juice to other electronics. However, these generally require you to be in good sunlight for hours on end just to work. While there are some people that might benifit from such a device, most of us aren’t outside that much every day. Another alternative approach to recharging gadgets is this M2E Power, which charges batteries using kinetic energy. …read full discussion

Craig Rubens | posted on August 26, 2008

Last week, Solazyme CEO Jonathan Wolfson said confidently that his synthetic biology startup would be able to produce millions of gallons of biofuel from algae within three years. That confidence could have been fueled by a large, $45.4 million Series C round of funding that the company has raised, according toPEHub.com. …read full discussion

Best of the Green Web | posted on August 21, 2008

Using nanorobots to build circuits is so last year’s fantasy. The latest technology of tomorrow uses viruses to construct everything from transistors to tiny batteries to solar cells. Researchers at MIT published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week describing how they’ve successfully created tiny batteries …read full discussion

Kevin Kelleher | posted on August 12, 2008

Chip equipment makers, like most of their customers, have to weather turbulent shifts from boom times to lean ones. Applied Materials (AMAT), which is near the bottom of one such chip cycle, decided a few years ago it would build a buffer by moving into the growing market for solar photovoltaic equipment. …read full discussion

Cory Doctorow | posted on August 7, 2008

Worldchanging’s Morgan Greenseth has a nice piece up on the future of malls in America — as many malls and mall-chains fail, they open up lots of possibilities for urban renewal, a fact that has been noticed by the New Urbanist movement, who are busily cooking up plans for turning dead malls into town squares. …read full discussion

Todd Morton | posted on July 30, 2008

Polymers are everywhere. Some see this as a great achievement in industrialization and cheap consumer goods. Take a look at any landfill, however, and it can quickly change your perspective. Although a good portion of polymers can be recycled these days, there is still an alarming amount of garbage that takes thousands of years to biodegrade. Biodegradable polymers do exist, but they are both expensive and suffer from poor mechanical properties, making their uses few and far between. Researcher in Taiwan have developed a novel solution to both problems, all while eliminating waste of a totally different kind. …read full discussion

Springwise | posted on July 25, 2008

We’ve seen (and written about) both green taxis and motorcycle taxis before, but never a combination of the two. Sure enough, though, one of our spotters recently came across an all-electric motorcycle service in France.

Citybird’s Electri-City operates a fleet of 15 Suzuki Burgman 650cc Executive scooters from its Paris-based headquarters, as well as a number of luxurious Honda Goldwings for use by members of its Citybird Club. All its Suzuki scooters are 100 percent electric, and emit just 125g CO2 per km—significantly less than most motorcycles and 50 to 70 percent less than traditional taxis, according to Climate Mundi. Taking it even further, though, Citybird works with Climate Mundi to offset those remaining emissions, along with those from its own administration. So, it also effectively negates the emissions from manufacturing all the motorcycles and gas it uses, as well as from making the supplies, furniture and computers used in its offices and its waste, energy facilities and movement of personnel.

Electri-City, which has made more than 54,000 trips since 2003, now has 160 companies under contract for its services. It also has partnerships with British Airways and TGV for airport transportation. Fares begin at EUR 25 within Paris, with subscriptions available offering discounts of up to 20 percent. Microphone-equipped helmets are included, as is protective gear in foul weather.

Motorcycle taxis already have an advantage in congested urban areas, but those benefits are multiplied many times over when the service is emissions-free. This one seems like a no-brainer—to be replicated in cities throughout the world!

Website: www.city-bird.com/_electricity
Contact: infos@city-bird.com

Spotted by: Matthew Cua

Uncrate | posted on July 24, 2008

If you’re really concerned about the environment, consider making the Brooks Trance 8 Biodegradable Running Shoe ($140) your next fitness purchase. These sturdy running shoes feature a foam midsole that biodegrades 50 times faster than conventional athletic shoes, by using molecules shaped to let the bacteria found in dumps decompose them more easily. Other features include a moisture-controlling Element mesh upper, rear and forefoot HydroFlow cushioning, and looks that won’t embarrass you at the gym.

Mark Frauenfelder | posted on July 23, 2008

No country creates more beautiful product packages than Japan, in my opinion. Here, PingMag takes a look at some innovate packages from Japan.

Tofu packed into balloons, by Kamakura-komachi?! Surprisingly a great example for reduced packaging: Its elastic material is extensively stretched, and when pierced with a toothpick, the balloon bursts and only a tiny bit remains. How amazing! REDUCE with more flexibility! The same packaging concept is also applied to a pudding.

Japanese Design #7: A How-to-Reduce-Packaging Journal (PingMag)