holy said:
"IT IS VERY GOOD; church can be an opinion leader.
in Germany some churches have big roofs for solar..." [read]
SteveC said:
"While one might think this is a waste of time, money and resources, so is a Bugatti Veyron. But both have been designed specifically to show that t..." [read]
Duane said:
"As to the question in the title "Will the Greenies Take Fireworks Away From Us?", the bad news answer is yes. Yes they will. The good news is tha..." [read]
LT said:
"I again repeat my comment from previous posts about poorly designed objects that design students should have some real world practical experience b..." [read]
Harrison Wills said:
"This is a beautiful quote by Mother Teresa that expresses the need to Do Good and Make Progress even when it's not appreciated. Love and Creat anyw..." [read]
Jesse said:
"I also agree for most families out there the recipies have to have a convertable property. I myself eat limited meat, aka fish, for some additional..." [read]
Honey, I Feel More Like Cool White Today...
Sharp's introducing 9 new models of LED lightbulbs to Japan in mid-July, but the most innovative of those is the one pictured above (the others are below). What's that thing on the right? It's actually a remote control that allows you to tune the color of the DL-L60AV LED Lamp (Sharp calls it "Adjustable Color Function"), or of a series of those plugged into the same circuit. Why is that a good thing? More details on how it works and its performance below.
Professor of optics Chunlei Guo. Photo: University of Rochester
Everything is Better with Lasers
What if you could take a regular incandescent lightbulb, zap it with a powerful laser for a small fraction of a second, and make it about twice as efficient as a regular lightbulb? That seems to be what researchers at the University of Rochester did. What does the laser do? It creates an "array of nano- and micro-scale structures on the surface of [the] regular tungsten filament—the tiny wire inside a light bulb—and these structures make the tungsten become far more effective at radiating light." Read on for more details.
Sydney, Australia was the city that pioneered Earth Hour, turning off its lights to highlight the energy issues inherent in the climate change dilemma. Now, and for the next three weeks they are turning the lights on for the same cause. Smart Light Sydney is about celebrating “sustainable innovations and the future of low-energy lighting design.”
An element of the larger Vivid Sydney festival, Smart Light Sydney is also running a eco lighting symposia looking at how “new technologies such as LEDs, nano-materials and advanced software design programs are revolutionising the design of light fittings and their usage in the city.” All the while asking the question, “How can architects design [...] the after dark usage and enjoyment of the city’s public spaces and buildings without wasting energy?”
photo credit: Inhabitat, who did a much better job
It doesn't get much more TreeHugger than dumpster diving for used cardboard and turning it into very lovely pendant lamps, does it? Well, maybe they might not have incandescent bulbs in them, but Seth Grizzle isn't happy with the quality of the light from the alternatives. Seattle's Graypants laser cuts cardboard and glues the circles into cardboard for their Scrap Lights. We interviewed Seth at ICFF.
Daisuke Hiraiwa created the Stamen lamp by gluing toothpicks to a flexible backing. The results are quite beautiful; my pictures didn't do it justice so I have borrowed from one of many at Inhabitat. Diasuke explains the process in a video:
Improving the Light Quality of LED Lightbulbs
LED lights have been working on overcoming two challenges: Generating pleasing light, and being low-cost. QD Vision and Nexxus Lighting have been working together on the first of these. Nexxus made LED lamps with white LEDs, and QD Vision is providing a cover with a coating of specially tuned quantum dots that help make the light-color more pleasing to the eye (mostly by adding some red into the mix, making the final result closer to what people are used to).
Buildings are a leading cause for bird-fatalities in the United States every year. Few green buildings exist where bird-safety is included. Architects and designers just don’t understand the connection between birds and the architecture. They don’t see glass. Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez has a big idea. She wants to create the first-ever nationally recognized Bird-Friendly Building Certification.
The last of four thousand incandescent bulbs were changed to compact fluorescents at Grand Central Terminal in New York yesterday, which will save an estimated US$ 200,000 per year in electricity charges and reduce the amount of CO2 and mercury released into the atmosphere from coal burning electrical plants.
Passengers immediately started complaining of headaches, pallid skin tones and declared Grand Central a superfund site because of the 8,000 milligrams of mercury in all of the bulbs.
The outdoor Cumuli cable-suspended lamp has solar panels above and LEDs below. Via Qnuru.
OK, I can admit it - I was one of those people that a few years ago ran out and bought those generic-looking solar garden path lamps and strung them all along the walkways up to my front door. Subsequently I was hugely disappointed that the lamps' weak pale glow wasn't enough to keep people from tripping over them and falling into the flower beds. Since then, solar LED lighting, especially for commercial applications, has taken huge leaps in beauty and functionality, and newcomer Qnuru's designs - by sculptor Tom Joyce - reflect the advances....
A common complaint we hear about compact fluorescents is that milligram of mercury is going to kill us if it gets into the air or into the landfills. Like most things that go into landfills or recycling bins, like pop bottles and electronics, there wouldn't be a problem if there was producer responsibility for what they sell. It becomes less like a product and more like a service, where we are purchasing a delivery and recovery system as well as the actual product, in this case a CFL. Sort of selling the light, not the bulb.
That is why the new Earthmate CFLs from Waste Management are so intriguing; they "close the sustainability loop" by selling them in a box that includes postage so you can send them back. ...
3 types of lightbulbs. Photo: Flickr, CC
20% -- Currently, about 20% of the world's electricity is used for lighting.
75% -- About 1/4 of that is for residential uses, and the rest is for commercial/industrial/governmental buildings.
5% -- A typical incandescent bulb converts only about 5% of the electricity it uses into light, and it needs to be replaced approximately every 1,000 hours....
High luminance and just 15 watts with these OLED prototype lights from RIOE. Photos via LEDinsideLast week we talked with Barry Young of the OLED Association who let us know that OLED lighting is going to be really awesome in the near future. We're getting a taste of that coming through from the Lighting Fair 2009, running this week. Check out some of the crazy things being done with OLED, that just might end up in our living rooms in a few years. ...
photo: Government of India Press Bureau
While not an outright ban on incandescent lightbulbs, under India's Bachat Lamp Yojana program the nation's 400 million incandescent lightbulbs will be replaced by CFLs over the next three years. The energy savings and resultant carbon emissions savings will be about 55 million tonnes per year. This is how it will be done:...
Image via: FoxFuryFoxFury, maker of lights of all shapes and sizes, has just come out with their heavy-duty Fire Figher Rated Headlamp. If you're in the market for a headlamp that is fire resistant, impact resistant and water proof up to 20 feet, then this is the headlamp for you. If you're more in the market for a bike helmet lamp or a new flashlight, don't worry, they have plenty of LED options to light your way....
Dear Pablo: We have 12 recessed light bulbs in our kitchen on a dimmer switch. How much money and energy we would save if we switched to dimmable CFL bulbs? They would have to be cost effective because cash is tight these days.
Image credit: Together CampaignJanuary CFL Sales Beat Whole of 2006
Times may be hard, but people are still willing to fork out money if it saves them energy in the long run. CFLs are being adopted at an astounding rate in the UK, at least if the latest press release from the Together Campaign is anything to go by: ...
LEDs make happy stories; previous ones have headlines including OLED Breakthrough, Breakthrough could change the world, and Major Milestone. And now we add The Holy Grail.
Colin Humphries' team at Cambridge University has figured out how to grow gallium nitride on silicon instead of sapphires, making a much cheaper light emitting diode. LEDs can reduce lighting bills by 75% compared to incandescent, but they still cost a lot of money. Humphries claims within five years, the new bulbs will be available, cheap, mercury free, dimmable and designed to last over 50 years....
Image credit: Paul Keller / Flickr.com
Want to make the switch to energy efficient, long-lasting Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) but don't know which brand is best for you and the environment? The Environmental Working Group has the answers you're looking for.
The EWG just released a study listing the top earth-friendly CFLs on the market. Lighten Up in '09 features the top brands (and where to buy them), what to do when a bulb breaks (CFLs contain mercury), and annual savings on energy and utility expenses. Seven bulbs with the lowest mercury content and the best longevity—lasting 8,000 to 15,000 hours (the EnergyStar standard is 6,000 hours)—got top honors in the study. The cream of the crop?...
This year, Barcelona city council decided to set an example and opt for low energy Christmas lights around town. The most intriguing ones are the 6 metal Christmas trees that are either solar or bike-powered. The Barcelonans however believe they are being tricked…...
A few years back we criticized Droog Design's famous 85 lamp fixture, noting "TreeHugger has suggested Ban the Bulb; Perhaps it is also time to Ban 85 Bulbs as well, at least until they bring out the LED version. "
Here is an equally humorous and much more efficient fixture, with a recycled content: the Milkbottle Lamp.
The individual parts of this lamp are completely plain but the combination makes of them an opulent chandelier. Less and more, united in a single product.
The milk bottle chandelier is a cluster of 12 old-fashioned milk bottles. The bottles are sandblasted and have a chrome top. The milk bottles hang on long cables, 12 at a time - three rows each of four bottles, just like the Dutch milk crate in the old days.
When I wrote yesterday about GE's new compact fluorescent that looks like an incandescent, (and wondered whatever happened to form following function) I did wonder how they got that squiggly CFL inside the bulb. Was it like building a ship in a bottle, or did they glue two halves of a bulb around it? John Strainic, Global Project Manager for GE, explains, sort of.
...
The main docks and capitol building-cum-executive residence of Dumpling Island: Google Sightseeing
You can start typing your ‘cut out the misleading headlines’ comments now if you like, but just because no other nation in the world recognizes the three-acre country of Dumpling Island, off the Connecticut/New York coast, doesn’t mean I’m going to knock down island-owner and Segway inventor Dean Kamen’s claims that his private island isn’t part of the United States.
In any case, independent nation or no, Dumpling Island has indeed become a net zero energy (shall we agree on?) locale. How? By replacing all the light fixtures on the island with LED lights:
...
Old Thomas Alva was no slouch with the elbows in the corners when it came to patent battles or discrediting competitors, and neither are his successors at General Electric. While we generally admire the company, we were not impressed with their announcement a year and a half ago that they were working on more efficient incandescent bulbs, that "In addition to offering significant energy savings comparable to CFLs, the 21st century version of Edison’s bulb provides all the desirable benefits including light quality and instant-on convenience as incandescent lamps currently provide at a price that will be less than CFLs."
I wrote that the timing of the announcement was suspicious(it was the same day as the launch of 18 seconds.org and a lot of incandescent bans were being discussed) , and " would also suggest that announcing a bulb that will be half as good as a CFL when it is launched in three years has just given a whole lot of people an excuse to do nothing."...
Photo via ToastyKenSeven Eleven Japanis planning to switch all of its new convenient stores with LED signboards and outdoor lighting in order to do its part to reduce GHG emissions. The energy-savvy effort is expected to help the chain reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 3%. That doesn’t sound like a whole heck of a lot, but when we consider the number of 7-11s that will have this reduction, it adds up quickly.
...
Photo via Philips
We talk a lot about the breakthroughs in LED lighting. Well, take note that the new technology is getting put to good use.
Boston’s first official skyscraper, the Marriott Custom House Tower, was in need of a makeover, and it received one in the form of replacing its incandescent fixtures with LED fixtures, beautifying the building while using one third the energy. ...
Dutch designer Marieke Staps has built a lamp with the LEDs powered by soil. She writes:
"Free and environmentally friendly energy forever and ever. The lamp runs on mud. The metabolism of biological life produces enough electricity to keep an LED lamp burning. The mud is enclosed in various cells. These cells contain copper and zinc that conduct the electricity. The more cells there are , the more electricity they generate. This technique offers a wealth of possibilities. The only thing the lamp needs is a splash of water every now and then."
In our previous article about Casa Decor, the international interior design show taking place this month in Barcelona, we weren’t sure they stuck to their self-implied title Pathway to a Sustainable Environment (or “Rumbo Sostenible” in Spanish). However, amongst the non-convincing projects and confusing messages, the design of the restaurant makes a refreshing difference. Designed by Barcelona-based Nancy Robbins Design Studio, we’d like to invite you to take a closer look at a precious piece of recycled interior design. Read on to see more images....
We'll be working on better category archives soon. In the meantime, take a look at the weekly archive if you really want to dig around, or use the search box at the top of the page.
on 06.18.09
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The outdoor Cumuli cable-suspended lamp has solar panels above and LEDs below. Via 
A common complaint we hear about compact fluorescents is that milligram of mercury is going to kill us if it gets into the air or into the landfills. Like most things that go into landfills or recycling bins, like pop bottles and electronics, there wouldn't be a problem if there was producer responsibility for what they sell. It becomes less like a product and more like a service, where we are purchasing a delivery and recovery system as well as the actual product, in this case a CFL. Sort of selling the light, not the bulb.
That is why the new Earthmate CFLs from Waste Management are so intriguing; they "close the sustainability loop" by selling them in a box that includes postage so you can send them back. ...
3 types of lightbulbs. Photo: 
High luminance and just 15 watts with these OLED prototype lights from RIOE. Photos via 
photo: 
Image via: 
Image credit: 
LEDs make happy stories; previous ones have headlines including 
Image credit: Paul Keller / Flickr.com
Want to make the switch to energy efficient, long-lasting 
This year, Barcelona city council decided to set an example and opt for low energy Christmas lights around town. The most intriguing ones are the 6 metal Christmas trees that are either solar or bike-powered. The Barcelonans however believe they are being tricked…...
A few years back we criticized Droog Design's famous 85 lamp fixture, noting "TreeHugger has suggested Ban the Bulb; Perhaps it is also time to Ban 85 Bulbs as well, at least until they bring out the LED version. "
Here is an equally humorous and much more efficient fixture, with a recycled content: the Milkbottle Lamp.
The main docks and capitol building-cum-executive residence of Dumpling Island: Google Sightseeing
You can start typing your ‘cut out the misleading headlines’ comments now if you like, but just because no other nation in the world recognizes the three-acre country of Dumpling Island, off the Connecticut/New York coast, doesn’t mean I’m going to knock down island-owner and Segway inventor Dean Kamen’s claims that his private island isn’t part of the United States.
In any case, independent nation or no, Dumpling Island has indeed become a net zero energy (shall we agree on?) locale. How? By replacing all the light fixtures on the island with LED lights:
...
Old Thomas Alva was no slouch with the elbows in the corners when it came to patent battles or discrediting competitors, and neither are his successors at General Electric. While we generally admire the company, we were not impressed with their 
Photo via 
Dutch designer 
In our previous article about 
