Are Solar Chargers Turning Into Flowers? Beautiful iPetals Concept May Set Trend

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:35:00 GMT

Images via Petitvention Designers seem to be setting a new trend for solar chargers, turning small scale renewable gadget charging into something resembling a bouquet of flowers. Hot on the heals of the Sunny Flower solar charger concept we showed off in September comes the iPetal, a design strikingly similar, and perhaps establishing a trend for stylish solar. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

London Restoring Water Fountains, Giving Citizens Free Drinking Water

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:10:00 GMT

Photo via Maurice When did water fountains become more of a novelty than an expectation in urban areas? And when did their restoration become news? It seems to say something about the state of free clean drinking water in cities - perhaps we've realized we've gone too far towards bottled water and are finally, finally making our way back to the tap. Either way, London has restored a drinking fountain in famous Trafalgar Square, and hopes that it starts a trend of renovating fountains across the city, returning free clean water to citizens who are out and about enjoying their public spaces.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Method Commercial Turns Cleaners Dirty with Disturbingly Funny Shiny Suds (Video)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:22:00 GMT

Screenshot via peopleagainstdirty In so many cleaner commercials, the happy housewife works alongside singing, scrubbing bubbles that show how cheerfully the cleaner can battle soap scum, germs, and whatever other grime is building up in your bathrooms. However, what happens after the singing stops? Method has created this hilarious commercial that will make you think completely differently about those singing bubbles, and what's in the cleaner you use. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Who Is Gonna Pay For My e-Waste?? Not Me!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:55:00 GMT

Photo via shooting brooklyn According to a new study by Pike Research, 76% of consumers are aware that one of the primary components for reducing e-waste is proper recycling. Rejoice! 76% of consumers can see the obvious!! Now the only trick to getting more of those consumers - indeed everyone - to act on recycling and being sticklers about ethical recycling methods by collectors and recyclers, is to figure out who foots the bill, because 37% of those consumers also think e-cycling should be a free service. And interestingly enough, not everyone thinks it's the manufacturers who should be responsible for the costs. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Tech Awards 2009 Recognizes Cows to Kilowatts as Winning Eco Project

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:30:00 GMT

Photo via foxypar4 Last night the Tech Awards kicked off in San Jose, California, honoring some incredible innovation happening across several categories, including the environment, education, health, biosciences and more. The competition in the environment section was tough, with GRUPEDSAC, a project providing customizable eco-techniques toolkits for self-sufficiency, the Electronic Field Guide, which encourages citizen science and uses photos to identify leaves with mobile, hand-held and augmented reality visualization of information, and Cows to Kilowatts, which turns slaughterhouse waste into fuel. The latter scooped up the award for the environment, but there were other green-thinking winners as well. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Roll-Up Notebook Looks More Like Mini Yoga Mat Than Computer (Video)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:45:00 GMT

Screenshot via orkinful Could the future of ultraportable laptops look more like this roll-up notebook? The concept design uses minimal materials, OLED technology for the screen, and hopes to be an all-in-one gadget that can sweep aside the need to have a laptop, e-reader, tablet and other devices. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

GoodGuide's Newest iPhone App Lets You Scan Barcodes In Stores And Get the Scoop on Products

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Image via GoodGuide Stand in the middle of a store and find a product you want to get. Would you rather A) look up the product manually on your phone with the old GoodGuide app to find out how green the product is, or B) scan the barcode and have the info pop right up? Most of us would prefer option B. GoodGuide recognized this and has announced the first iPhone application that scans barcodes to "provide impartial health, environment and social responsibility ratings of products and companies." And what's more - it's free. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Can A Farm-in-a-Backpack Feed Sub-Saharan Africa?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:50:00 GMT

Photo via Rachel Zedeck at Changents Rachel Zedeck moved to Kenya with the intent to help Kenyans feed themselves through eco-friendly farming. Her solution - put everything you need into one backpack. Everything needed to get going on sustainable farming practices is included, and the program is proving to be successful - she and a group of farmers in the Mau Forest, successfully planted12 Hectares using a new distributed production model and supplies from the eco-friendly back pack farming kits. But will this pilot program prove whether or not sustainable farming can feed a country?... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Hermit Crab Finds Use for Ocean Trash, Calls Broken Bottle Home

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:05:00 GMT

Image via Recyclart We aren't sure if this is in the wild, or someone's pet crab to whom the owner gave an offering of a broken bottle as shelter. Either way, it's kinda cute and kinda frightening. It doesn't take much of a leap of though to figure this might be increasingly what our ocean critters look like - from crabs using broken bottles to octopi and eels using various discarded baskets and jugs for homes. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Cleantech Open 09 - LivinGreen Materials Makes Solar 50% More Efficient, 40% Cheaper

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:32:00 GMT

LivinGreen Materials showed off their drop-in solution to creating more efficient, cheaper solar cells. And their claim is no small number. They say their solution - which would remove one layer from the solar cells currently manufactured and replace it with a layer created by their new technology - could improve efficiency by 50% all while making it cheaper to manufacture solar cells. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Microsoft Bans Nearly a Million Xbox Users, Now Crippled Consoles Are Flooding the Market

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:24:00 GMT

Photo via Collin Allen After discovering nearly a million users had modified their consoles to play pirated games via the Xbox live service, Microsoft gave them the boot from the service and now the modified consoles are making their way onto the market by the hundreds, with more likely to follow. The ban works on the console, not the user's account, which means Xbox consoles useless for the Xbox Live service are being sold everywhere from eBay to Craigslist, creating a bit of an e-waste nightmare and some unhappy buyers. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Regan's Beautiful (and Big) Reverb Solar Powered Speakers

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:30:00 GMT

It was only last month we saw a super sexy solar iPhone charger from Regen roll out. Now that same company has put out a beautiful solar powered speaker, the Reverb, that can play between 20 and 40 hours on a full charge. And this is no wimpy counter-top speaker, either. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Cleantech Open 09 - Dot UI Makes Energy Consumption Data Available to Visually Impaired

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:24:00 GMT

Platforms that show us our energy usage are getting to be a dime a dozen. Not that it's a bad thing, of course. Knowing our data is a big part of reducing consumption. Dot UI is a start-up wanting to make energy consumption as personalized as possible so that people avoid information overload, and get the data where they're most likely to see it, whether that's their television, a digital photo frame, a mobile phone. Not too unique, since many user dashboards can be displayed on various devices - but they're all typically visual devices. What really stands out with Dot UI is another area they're putting emphasis - ensuring that the visually impaired and disabled can get a hold of their data as quickly and easily as anyone else using the software. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

California Gives Thumbs Up to TV Efficiency Standards, and the Finger to the Consumer Electronics Industry

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Photo via brownpau Well, the battle over California adopting new TV efficiency standards has been fun to watch, what with the Consumer Electronics Industry stomping around and turning red in the face at the idea of not being able to have a handful of the most energy-sucking TVs on store shelves in the state. However, a decision has been made in favor of efficiency. Just announced is word that, by a unanimous 5-0 vote, the California Energy Commission adopted the most advanced TV energy efficiency standards in the world. Read on to see what the new standards will mean. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Cleantech Open 09 - PanGreen Wants You To Forget Every Single Green Phone App...Except One

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:15:00 GMT

Pangreen wants to be the - as in the one and only - green phone app. The only one you will ever need. Ever. It's a big goal, but they're creating the "personal virtual concierge" that puts all the green iphone apps we've seen (and there are lots!) into one simple user interface that will run your life in an environmentally friendly way. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Cleantech Open 09 - Soltac Puts Everything You Need for Solar Cooking In a Bag

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:30:00 GMT

Everyone loves a kit, and Soltac has put solar cooking in one tiny bag, creating a product that looks perfect for camping or disaster situations. The all-in-one CookSack looks like a big parabola with a pot in the middle when unfolded, and offers a fast set-up for solar cooking. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Cleantech Open 09 - Lunescent Syncs Streetlights With Moon Cycles for Energy Savings

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:44:00 GMT

Image via Lunescent Before streetlights, there was the moon. Well, at least for a week or two out of the month, if weather conditions were good, you could get enough moonlight to guide your way down a path. Now, streetlights line our walks - great for getting us from one place to the next relatively safely, but a big drain on electricity resources. Lunescent hopes to get us back to following the moon a little more, and save us up to 90% on streelight energy consumption. The start-up showed off its first product, the Lemma light, at Cleantech Open. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Cleantech Open 09 - EcoFactor is NOT a Smart Thermostat - It's Better.

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:10:00 GMT

EcoFactor is easy to mistake for a smart thermostat, since that's what the user sees. But really, it's not a smart thermostat at all. As Scott Hublou, a co-founder of EcoFactor and its senior vice president for products, puts it, "It's an incredibly dumb thermostat that just listens really well, and talks really well." There is so much buzz around smart appliances these days - devices that will talk to each other, talk to a user interface, talk to your utilities - and one of the biggest problems developers of these various solutions are dealing with is the fact that at some point, consumers hit information overload and programming burn-out. Just how hands on or off people want to be varies, and so do their individual needs on maximizing efficiency for their home in their town in their microclimate. EcoFactor takes all these concerns, bundles it up into one really stupid piece of hardware and one really smart software program, and hands it over to consumers for maximum energy savings. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Cleantech Open Announces Winners for Hottest Green Tech Start-Ups

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:30:00 GMT

Image via Cleantech Open Cleantech Open is thee competition for Claifornia (and nationwide) start-ups looking to gain seed money for their ideas. The hottest new concepts for clean technology in six categories - from renewable energy to waste to energy efficiency to water use - show of their ideas, and at the end of the competition, it is announced which winners will receive a grand prize of $250,000. I spent a few hours roaming the rows of great ideas (more posts on some of the coolest to come later today) and at the end of the evening, the exciting news was announced. Check out who you'll be hearing a lot more about (and may have in your home) in the months to come... ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

SF Green Festival 09 - Earth Tones Phone Company Gives 100% of Profits to Green Action Groups

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:20:00 GMT

A phone company we actually admire...is it possible? It might be with Earth Tones, the environmental internet and phone company. The company, on top of providing great rates and services, also gives monthly green alerts to keep you updated on eco-issues, and gives all of its profits to green charities, What other phone company gives all of its profits away? To green organizations?!... Read the full story on TreeHugger

SF Green Festival 09 - More Than One Way to Rip a Shirt to Shreds

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:50:00 GMT

Restructured clothing was definitely at home at the San Francisco Green Festival this year. There were several fashion designers that knew how to shred old clothing and sew it into something new, creative, and stylish. Here we have Elisabethan, a line by Elisabeth Delehaunty - a clothing artist we've followed for years. It was fun to see her gorgeous creations at the fest, but she certainly wasn't the only seamstress. Check out some of the other great clothing lines making something hot out of something tossed. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

SF Green Festival 09 - Reclaimed and Eco-Art Speaks to Minimizing Waste

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:30:00 GMT

Attendees at the San Francisco Green Festival weren't lacking for beautiful things to look at. This display used found materials including flowers and edibles. It is beautiful, and colorful, but right next to it was another large and impressive piece of art created from industrial materials welded together. It was that piece that seemed to draw people in...... Read the full story on TreeHugger

SF Green Festival 09 - Kijiji Creates Cool Aquaponics Systems For Kids

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:15:00 GMT

Aquaponics has been a hot topic on TreeHugger of late. Whether you find it the coolest thing to hit urban gardening, or cruelty to fish, aquaponics are gaining popularity. Kijiji Grows demonstrated their aquaponics system at San Francisco Green Festival this weekend, and it looks like a great addition to the market of aquaponics systems available. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

SF Green Festival 09 - Canvas Dreams Offers Honestly Green Web Hosting Services

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:10:00 GMT

There are a lot of options out there for green web hosting. In an effort to green up an energy and resource intensive industry, some use carbon offsets, some sign up for green power plans with power companies. Canvas Dreams, however, is one web hosting company that goes farther than most to be as eco friendly as possible. They shrug off even the thought of carbon offsets and instead go to the root of the problems - green power, a small data center footprint, and keeping electronics in the consumer stream. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

SF Green Festival 09 - Elephant Poo Paper Saves Pachyderms

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:25:00 GMT

A familiar face at San Francisco's Green Festival was Mr. Ellie Pooh, a company that makes paper from elephant dung. Elephants in Sri Lanka are killed for their interference with agriculture, but they interfere with agriculture simply because they're running out of space of their own. By making a lucrative market for paper from their dung, they're given a better chance at survival. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

SF Green Festival 09 - Cute Green Christmas Cards Give The Gift of Trees You Can Track As They Grow

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:02:00 GMT

Treenex offers up some holiday cards that are certainly not cheap, but are a gift within themselves. When you buy a card, you plant a tree. A whole tree for a single gift card...not a bad trade! And, Treenex is more than just a gift card company - it's really more a group of avid tree planters who also have some adorable gift cards to sell. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

SF Green Festival 09 - Silo Ink Reduces Printer Waste, Saves 80% on Ink Expenses

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:15:00 GMT

For most people, empty ink cartridges unfortunately head to the trash bin, or if we're lucky, to the reclcying bin or back to the store for recycling. But few people refill cartridges, which is one of the most efficient, green uses. Silo Ink isn't a bottomless ink cartridge, but it's about as close as we can get. The giant cartridges not only reduce waste and are refillable, but will save you 80% on the cost of ink. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

SF Green Festival 09 - Rentalic Creates Profit Around Community Rental Service

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:25:00 GMT

Community based product service systems are an excellent green product service system allowing a lot of people to use one item when they need it, rather than everyone purchasing the same product only to use it once a year. But what about creating an income based on sharing your stuff? Rentalic is a person-to-person renting service where anyone can hop online and rent their stuff - from parking spaces to holiday decorations - and bring in a little cash, while the renters can get access to things they need for a fraction of the cost of purchasing them. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

SF Green Festival 09 - Handbags From Newspapers and Candy Wrappers Get More Stylish

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:00 GMT

The idea of making handbags out of upcycled trash like plastic bags or wrappers is nothing new, but what is new is how stylish they're becoming. Several makers of these upcycled bags were at San Francisco's Green Festival and the professional look was surprising - they've moved from craft faire fashion to something you wouldn't be surprised to find at Macy's or Saks. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

SF Green Festival 09 - Flushable, Dissolvable Doggie Doo Bags

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:45:00 GMT

Out on the market for only a few days, Dog Flushies from Absurd Doggie Products made a debut at San Francisco's Green Festival. Plastic bags for picking up puppy poo are a fast selling product, but they aren't usually good for the environment, so the idea of bags that dissolve in water is kinda of appealing. And, the company is putting out a product that is essentially a flushable toilet for outside so you're not traipsing through the house to the bathroom with a bag full of something smelly. Still, we aren't convinced that these are a silver bullet for the problem of "biodegradable" bags. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Recent Posts by TreeHugger's Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California