17 Dec
2015
3D-printed Eco-Bikini Cleans the Ocean As You Swim
Eco Products & Services | UNITED STATES
Published by : Ecotechtube
The world's oceans are full of beauty, but they're also full of pollution.Industrial, agricultural and residential waste all make their way into the oceans, not to mention oil spills and waste from deep-sea mining sites. The Sponge Suit bikini, designed by architecture and design firm Eray Carbajo, based in New York and Istanbul, in collaboration with UC Riverside electrical engineering professor Mihri Ozkan, is designed to absorb pollutants…
17 Dec
2015
San Diego Vows to Move Entirely to Renewable Energy in 20 Years
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | UNITED STATES
Published by : Ecotechtube
Last weekend, representatives of 195 countries reached a landmark accordin Paris to lower planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. On Tuesday, local leaders in San Diego committed to making a city-size dent in the problem. With a unanimous City Council vote, San Diego, the country’s eighth-largest city, became the largest American municipality to transition to using 100 percent renewable energy, including wind and solar power. In the wake of the…
17 Dec
2015
Japan's Poop-Powered, Three-Wheeled Motorcycle Leaves Tracks Across Country
Eco Products & Services | JAPAN
Published by : Ecotechtube
Japanese toilet company Toto Ltd. (Tokyo: 5332) debuted its one of a kind poop-powered, three-wheeled motorcycle, christened Toilet Bike Neo, this week by sending it on a tour around the country.Toilet Bike Neo, or as we like the call it, the poop-mobile, is powered by biogas fuel, which Toto says is a combination of fertilized, purified livestock waste and gray-water. While the Toilet Bike Neo does prominently feature a comode which the driver rides upon,…
16 Dec
2015
Foot-powered washing machine now available for pre-order
Eco Products & Services | CANADA
Published by : Care 2 Trade
The electricity-free and low-water Drumi device could be one method of washing clothes without taking a huge toll on the environment.If you'd rather dump a huge load of clothes into the washing machine, turn it on, and walk away, this device probably isn't for you, but if you're willing to put a little effort into washing your clothes, and only need to wash tiny loads, the Drumi could be a great asset to your home, whether you're on or off the grid. Megan…
16 Dec
2015
These high-end jackets are made from ocean plastic
Eco Products & Services | SPAIN
Published by : Ecotechtube
At sunrise in the fishing port of Villajoyosa in eastern Spain, a fleet of traditional fishing boats sets out on the Mediterranean to hunt for cuttlefish, prawns – and plastic bottles.Since July, Spanish fishing boats have been picking up plastic waste in the Mediterranean that will be recycled into polyester fibres that will be used to make a high-end clothing line.Mixed haul: Among the fish, prawns and crabs hauled up by Spanish fishmen are plastic waste…
15 Dec
2015
Toxic Algae Causing Brain Damage, Memory Loss in Sea Lions
Others | UNITED STATES
Published by : Ecotechtube
SAN FRANCISCO—A toxin produced by marine algae can impair sea lions' memory, scientists reported Monday, making it difficult for sick sea lions to find their way to food.RELATED STORIESNew Theory for What Caused Earth's Second-Largest Mass ExtinctionProtecting a New Generation of Poisoned Kids After KatrinaToxic Snail Puts Fish in a Sugar Coma, Then Eats ThemLarge growths, or blooms, of the algae off the coast of California may have contributed to the unprecedented…
15 Dec
2015
Paris Agreement on climate change: the good, the bad, and the ugly
Others | FRANCE
Published by : Care 2 Trade
Henrik Selin, Boston University and Adil Najam, Boston UniversityAt 7:27 pm local time Saturday, December 12th, 2015, a new Paris Agreement on global climate change was born after four years of taxing labor. Its much-anticipated birth was quickly followed by copious self-congratulations by many of the parents in the room who almost all were overcome by joy and bursting with pride.Praise heaped upon newborns should be taken with a grain of salt. “Historic”…
15 Dec
2015
Innovative heat-dispersing clay bricks help keep homes naturally cool
Green Building Materials, Construction & Design | COLOMBIA
Published by : Ecotechtube
A new innovative brick is paving the way towards more comfortable, affordable, and sustainable architectural solutions in hot climates. Colombian architects Miguel Niño and Johanna Navarro of Sumart Diseño y Arquitectura SAS designed BT - Bloque Termodisipador (HB - Heatsink Brick), a type of clay brick that helps keep buildings naturally cool through smart design. Made with an irregular shape, the brick’s angled and perforated form not only improves the building’s…
15 Dec
2015
Solar Table Charges Your Phone Without Direct Sunlight
Eco Products & Services | UNITED KINGDOM
Published by : Ecotechtube
The kitchen table has been the place where many new inventions and ideas have been sketched out, but rarely has it been the source of innovation itself.With an orange-striped surface on its steel frame, a new table from London-based designers Caventou appears to be an ultra-modern piece of furniture for an arty homeowner. A closer look reveals a port on the side where phones can be recharged using power gleaned from solar cells that cover the surface.The table…
14 Dec
2015
Chile’s plan to build a hydroelectric plant in the desert is actually brilliant
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | CHILE
Published by : Ecotechtube
If you were to picture the optimal spot for building a hydroelectric power plant, I’ll bet the middle of a desert would not be your first choice. Yet, the Chilean energy company Valhalla has decided the Atacama Desert is the perfect location for such an endeavor. The plant will provide power for three nearby provinces, drastically slashing their reliance on fossil fuels. So, how exactly would this work?If there is one thing Chile is not lacking it is access…
13 Dec
2015
Artist's murals on melting glaciers highlight climate change
Others | UNITED STATES
Published by : Ecotechtube
For those of us who are more than familiar with dire news about climate change impacts like extended and widespread droughts, slowly submerging islands and melting glaciers, it make take some skillful means to get fresh attention on something we think we know all about. But that's what artist and surfer Sean Yoro, a.k.a. Hula, is doing with these detailed painted murals on blocks of melting sea ice, to bring our attention again to the urgency of rapidly changing…
12 Dec
2015
The world’s largest nuclear fusion reactor is about to switch on
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | GERMANY
Published by : Ecotechtube
It looks like a piece of technology straight out of science fiction, but the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarton fusion reactor is totally factual – and it’s set to switch online this November. Stellarator reactors such as the W7-X produce energy by using massive coiled superconductors to create powerful magnetic fields that contain hydrogen gas as it is heated to the point that its atoms fuse. According to Gizmodo, the W7-X takes the stellarator design to a…
11 Dec
2015
The new Global Solar Council launches out of COP21
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | FRANCE
Published by : Ecotechtube
The UN COP21 climate talks are the most comprehensive thus far and are showing that countries are actually preparing to take action on climate change. The solar industry is posed to be part of the answer and is increasingly working together to do so. On December 7th, the industry announced the launch of the Global Solar Council (GSC) in an attempt to share best practices and bring the solar power industry together at an international level. “The GSC believes…
11 Dec
2015
Qube offers 'world's most affordable' smart LED lightbulb for $19
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | UNITED STATES
Published by : Ecotechtube
This WiFi- and Bluetooth-enabled smart bulb features plug-and-play functionality, doesn't require a central smart home hub, and is designed to last for "up to 50,000 hours."One of the sticky points in the adoption of smart home accessories continues to be the relatively high price of each component, but one startup is offering a high-tech, yet low-priced, solution for smart lighting, in the form of a standalone smart LED lightbulb that will cost less than…
10 Dec
2015
Manufract uses salvaged wood and bio-resin to create “self-healing” furniture
Green Building Materials, Construction & Design | GERMANY
Published by : Ecotechtube
Nature has a way of healing itself when it is hurt. If we get a cut, our body goes to work repairing the area. Trees do the same when they are injured, releasing resin to repair themselves and to restore balance. The designers at Manufract have created a line of furniture which pays homage to this act of nature by using salvaged wood pieces and filling in the damaged areas with eco-resin. The final result is something uniquely beautiful that reminds us of…
10 Dec
2015
World's first global real-time air pollution map & app launched
Green ICT | FRANCE
Published by : Ecotechtube
Just in time for the Paris climate talks, a French startup rolls out a live air pollution map, accompanied by an app that delivers localized alerts and air quality recommendations.Although air pollution alone isn't the reason for the annual climate talks, it certainly is part of the problem, and regardless of how clean or green we live our lives, we can't avoid the effects of local and regional air pollution, no matter how many solar panels we have on our…
09 Dec
2015
Global Green Bank Network Forms To Speed Shift To Clean Energy
Green Financing | FRANCE
Published by : Ecotechtube
Image: Nestle Purina's solar farm in Arizona | CCSix green banks and two nonprofit groups today announced they are establishing a Green Bank Network to bring billions of dollars in new investments to support renewable energy and energy efficiency - creating jobs and helping to limit climate change.Green banks are public entities created to partner with the private sector to increase investment in clean energy and eventually make it mainstream, no longer needing…
09 Dec
2015
Climate Aid Gone Wrong: A Case Study
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | INDIA
Published by : Care 2 Trade
In my blog written from the Paris climate summit, I've criticized activists and participants for a fixation on 'climate aid'. I've argued that this isn't what the world's poor want or need.It's interesting to look at a real-life example. The Greenpeace website, Dharnai Live, has one such example. With pictures of smiling people in India, drone's-eye views of solar-panel-covered roofs, it's designed to make us feel warm inside. After "30 years of darkness",…
09 Dec
2015
Gogoro showcases its battery-swapping Smartscooter at the COP21 Sustainable Innovation Forum
Green Transportation & Logistics | FRANCE
Published by : Ecotechtube
We recently reported on Gogoro‘s plans to bring its battery-swapping Smartscooters to Europe, and today CEO Horace Luke shared his vision for the future of green transportation at COP21‘s Sustainable Innovation Forum in Paris. “With the world’s megacities at a tipping point in population density, pollution fallout and rapid expansion, it is essential that we reimagine the energy infrastructure and create a renewed mindset for change in tomorrow’s urban generation.…
08 Dec
2015
Storing electricity in paper: An organic mixed ion-electron conductor for power electronics
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | SWEDEN
Published by : Care 2 Trade
Researchers at Linköping University's Laboratory of Organic Electronics, Sweden, have developed power paper—a new material with an outstanding ability to store energy. The material consists of nanocellulose and a conductive polymer. The results have been published in Advanced Science. One sheet, 15 centimetres in diameter and a few tenths of a millimetre thick can store as much as 1 F, which is similar to the supercapacitors currently on the market. The material…