Architect Gerald Melling writes:
"The Coromandel is a sub-tropical peninsular on the north-west coast of the North Island of New Zealand, an idyllic and remote region offering welcome holiday refuge from the urban stress of Auckland city. The Split Box is a permanently constructed commitment to a site hitherto inhabited only by two caravans and a storage shed. Its location is quintessential Kiwi Paradise - a hilltop on the edge of a coastline. (more)
via:treehugger
We’ve already seen the massive success of urban bike sharing in Paris, but now the super-smart Velib Bike program is taking to the streets of London! 15,000 bikes, 1,000 stations and more than 7.5 million miles of combined biking later have already been implemented in London, and the new scheme will contribute £75 million and 6,000 shared bikes to the mass biking scheme. Spearheaded by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, the new ‘granny bike’ sharing scheme will reduce traffic congestion and help clear up the air of England’s sprawling capital city.
Modernist architect Ralph Rapson has managed this to reinterpret a 60-year old design with the green panache of a 21st century prefab. The Rapson Greenbelt, an articulate series of prefab dwellings, is derived from a 1945 design called Case Study #4, which debuted back then as part of Arts & Architecture’s Case Study House Program. Today, the Rapson Greenbelt is part of the modern home portfolio from WIELER, the award-winning providers of custom prefab homes.
Zap, that developer of electric sedans and and trucks, may be beginning to finally see a following developing here in the United States. The company recently announced it hosted its largest monthly dealer seminar to date, which resulted in some 614 of its vehicles sold while also adding six new car dealers to its network.
Zap said the mix of cars sold include its Zapino scooters, ZAPPY3 PRO, ZAPPY3 EZ and the ZAP Mid-Sized ATV. The overall total for the sale? A little over $5.1 million. Dealers are expecting Zap to deliver a minimum of ten cars a month over the next year. The car manufacturer, which sells its vehicles in 54 locations around the country, is shooting for a goal of 100 dealers by the end of the year and expects to have more dealers added shortly.
In other Zap news, the company also talked about plans for a joint venture with China Youngman to make "highway capable" electric and hybrid vehicles. It feels like this may well be possible by the second quarter of next year. It sure is an exciting time in electrics...
Read the Full Press Release
There's nothing I hate more than getting stuck using disposable cutlery! OK, actually, I just thought of several dozen things that I hate more than that...alas.
But I do hate it! What am I supposed to do, walk around with a spork in my pocket all the time? I already keep a plastic bag and a water bottle constantly handy...a dining set would likely require a whole new coat!
But I do have pens...always. That's just the kind of person I am. So I could either use them like chopsticks, or invest in a Din-Ink set! The idea is pretty simple...just a bio-degradeable pen cap that happens to have a knife, fork or spoon on it. I don't know why they eschewed the ever-useful, surprisingly environmentally conscious spork. But, alas, they did.
They're just as safe, and considerably more durable, than disposable cutlery. No word on pricing or availability yet. But I can't wait to whip one of these suckers out to impres my ecogeek friends. Though, I will have to remember to leave them at home for flights...that knife looks very suspicious.
Via Inhabitat and Zo_Loft Designs
Professor Mike Rowe OBE at Cardiff University is investigating ways to 'green up' cars using something you're more likely to find in your home boiler - thermocouples.
Thermoelectric generators utilise dissimilar metals or semiconductors to produce electricity from a difference in temperatures. This is the key, Professor Rowe believes, to extracting waste energy - which normally escapes out of a car's exhaust, into something useful - electricity - reducing the burden on the vehicles alternator - reducing the load on the engine; or possibly even eliminating the complexity of an alternator altogether in favour of a solid-state solution.
Professor Rowe believes that 5% efficiency savings can be made by eliminating vehicles alternators and the load they place on the vehicles engine. Whilst we at EcoGeek are excited by future Alternative Vehicles and Fuels, we also believe that there is a place for transitional solutions which help us to reduce the environmental footprint of existing vehicle technologies. ... and that's not the best news. Professor Rowe believes that the thermoelectric generation technology could also find a place in generating electricity from the sun - representing a potentially more cost-effective technology that present photovoltaic cells.
via:ecogeek
Wow! Well, this week certainly has been a good one for MDI, the company that first decided it was possible to run a car on compressed air. First, they announce that Tata Motors has invested $30M to get the cars on the road in India and Europe this year, and now, They're Comin' to America!
The cars run off air that is compressed into a extremely strong tank. The air is then slowly released, driving an engine that can propel the American version of the car up to 95MPH. The American distributors, Zero Pollution Motors, already has its price set ($17,800) and a design (seen above).
This also comes with a new bit of news about the Air Car's propulsion system. The air tank can only hold so much air, right, so how do they extend the range and power for the American market? Well...what does air do when it's heated? It expands! So MDI has developed a way for the car to get a range of over 800 miles! A small petrol engine heats the air, providing the extra energy necessary to get the car up to 95 MPH and more than triples the vehicle's range. So, indeed, you will have to fill up both a gasoline tank and an air tank to get the car to work.
The bad news is that it takes about an hour to fill the air tank. But, theoretically, the car could come with an at-home charger...since being parked at a gas station for an hour-long fill-up would be pretty horrible. The other bad news is that you'll be burning gasoline...which kinda defeats the purpose...right?
Well, not if the car gets an effective 106 mpg when traveling above 35 MPG and doesn't use a drop of gas when going slower than that. Sounds to me like a pretty good compromise for bringing this otherwise not-very-suited-for-the-American-lifestyle car to America.
Via Auto Blog Green and BusinessGreen
As soon as we saw them, we instantly fell in love with Brio54’s new set of prefab residential prototypes. A young, design-driven development firm, Brio54’s mission is to provide sustainable, affordable design while delivering high quality construction. Home buyers of all types will delight inBrio54’s wide variety of offerings - whether you live in a suburban area, are looking to refurbish or rehab, or have an empty urban infill lot. Brio54’s first prefab prototype, the H1, (pictured above) is currently in the final stage of planning, and construction is slated to begin production in the spring of 2008.
Each Brio54 home is full of healthy green features including centralized efficient heating and cooling, moisture and ventilation control, clean V.O.C and toxin free materials, dual flush toilets, on demand heating, energy star HVAC and appliances, ICF’s, passive solar energy design, all natural wood and stone flooring, and 3Form Ecoresin countertops. All of the wood framing shown is prefabricated in advance of arriving onsite. The photovoltaic panels on their prototypes are currently under investigation along with solar heating, graywater recovery, and possibly rainwater harvesting systems which will need to be determined based on individual siting of each home.
Aric Chen says in the New York Times: "Starting today, the Kithaus, an instant freestanding room manufactured by a Southern California company of the same name, is available through Design Within Reach. The 9-by-13-foot aluminum structure has a clean, modern look, with decking, louvers, canopies and interior finishes made of sustainably harvested ipe. Insulated and wired for electricity, it ships flat in four to six weeks, ready to be assembled for any number of uses." ::New York Times
By Cephoe: on Renewable Power
We just featured the largest wind turbine in the world, now here’s something at the opposite end of the spectrum: a household wind turbine. In the last few years, we’ve seen a lot of mini-wind turbines that haven’t turned out to be very useful. But the Windspire turbine from Mariah Power sounds interesting. The Windspire has a propeller-free vertical-axis design, and is expected to produce about 1800 kilowatt hours per year in 11 mph average wind conditions. That amount of wind power is roughly 25% of a typical household’s energy (or much more if you are particularly energy efficient).
The Windspire is 30 feet tall with a two foot radius, sized below typical residential zoning restrictions. Guidelines for installation sites are generally half an acre of land and relatively windy locations. The Winspire has just passed the ETL safety certification, which means it’s ready to go to market. It is expected to be released this spring, and priced at $3,995.
Windspire features a fully integrated, plug ‘n produce design, including a high efficiency generator, integrated inverter, and wireless performance monitor. The integrated design allows for simple installation (estimated to cost around $1,000). It incorporates a slow speed giromill rotor for virtually silent operation and improved safety and durability. It connects to the household power supply, offsetting electricity use and at times running the electricity meter backwards.
You can also get this wind turbine painted any color you like, to match the surroundings, to stand out as piece of functional art.
By Mahesh Basantani: on Wind 
Power
Ocean waves are already being used as a source of renewable energy, but could differences in water temperatures in the sea be our next source of green power? A decade old idea to generate renewable electricity for the globe with offshore, floating ‘Energy Islands’ could soon become a reality. The concept - creating artificial islands to collect wind, wave and solar power in the tropics - is based on the work of Jacques-Arsène d’Arsonval, a 19th-century French physicist, who envisioned the idea of using the sea as a giant solar-energy collector.
By Abigail Doan: on Social Responsibility 
Italian designers are surely global frontrunners when it comes to cutting edge fashion and innovative design (as evidenced by our previous coverage of the 2007 Milan Furniture Fair). With this in mind, we are pleased to announce that AKA Architetti has just won an international competition for their development of a single-family, green home prototype that’s energy efficient, site adaptable, and incredibly stylish in its integration of interior and exterior architectural features. via:Inhabitat
Hot on the heels of 'Pee standing up for the Earth' come these bogtastic urinals for Europe. One pint of water per flush might be something to write home about on your side of the pond, but here in Europe, we've already seen our fair share of water-less urinals.
It turns out that the two main problems with not having water run around your loo after each pee are odor and blockage. Odor isn't as much of a problem as you would think, as specially designed traps can pretty much eliminate smells escaping. The other problem is blockage - solids and salts accumulate in the traps of waterless urinals - however, two litres of hot water a week poured down them is enough to ensure they stay clear.
Furthermore, the people at IFO have solutions for times when you just have to sit down. Some of their loos will clear the bowl using as little as two litres of water for less serious matters - whilst effectively clearing the bowl using as little as four litres - a shade over a U.S. Gallon.
Furthermore, taking water out of the equation altogether - with a solution that may seem a little extreme to the average U.S. consumer - but one which might appeal to EcoGeeks is the 'composting toilet' - now being carried at Home Depots - a compost toilet biologically digests waste to produce harmless compost as a waste product. If the balance of biological functions in a composting toilet is maintained at the correct levels then it should emit no odor at all!
via:ecogeek
By Abigail Doan: On Gardening
Regardless of whether you are an urban, suburban, or rural dweller, there is inevitably a patch of neglected turf in your neighborhood that might need a bit of TLC and greening. If you see hidden gardening potential between sidewalk cracks when others see decay and abandon, well then, you might be a budding guerrilla gardener and not even know it! The guerrila gardening phenomenon is currently sweeping the globe as folks are finding innovative ways to come together for the optimization of neglected land and paved surface area. It’s a turf war for some, or a poetic gesture for others, but either way, citizens are rolling up there sleeves to create gardens in the most unlikely spaces and places.
via:Inhabitat
By Attitude on Environment
If the Aztecs and the Incas could do it, then surely so can you in this time and age. While they might not be on a scale as grand and spectacular as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, they still might be good enough next time you bring your girlfriend home. If that is not a reason enough for you to get started, then I don'tt know what is. I actually do, but let's not talk about it here.
Here is a wonderful way to build your own hanging garden in your very own backyard. The grander you want it to be, the more effort that has to go in. But when you are done with it, you will be more than happy with the outcome. To top it all off, now you can build it using the power of mighty Apollo or in a more modern language- the sun. Here is a simple and efficient way to build your own Hydroponic re-circulating solar powered system. I still like to call it "gardens in the air-powered by the sun".
Save money on rising energy bills, while slashing your carbon footprint at the same time, with an energy monitoring device. A good example is The Energy Detective (TED), which starts at $139.
The Energy Detective is a small display that indicates household electrical usage in real time and projects your monthly bill — all without using batteries. Research has found that real-time energy feedback leads consumers to reduce their electricity consumption. According to the company you'll save 15 - 20% on each bill, which would amount to hundreds of dollars a year.
It's really quite simple: If you can measure it, you can manage it. You can make small adjustments through the day and see how the savings add up. For example, you may decide you don't really need to run that space heater, or be reminded to turn off lights and appliances. You can even interface the TED with your computer, so you can do advanced logging and analysis of your home's energy data.
via: the daily green
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