06 Dec
2017
Twin brothers convert organic waste into truly biodegradable plastic
Others | UNITED STATES
Published by : Eco Media Asia
You know plastic waste is a problem. But Jeff and Dane Anderson, twin brothers in California, are trying to do something about it. They started a company, Full Cycle Bioplastics, to make a fully biodegradable plastic. They aren’t the first to do so, but they utilize cheap, readily available organic waste to make their bioplastic. Food waste, dirty paper or cardboard, or agricultural byproducts become compostable plastic…
04 Dec
2017
New fractal concentrated solar power receivers absorb sunlight more efficiently
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | UNITED STATES
Published by : Eco Media Asia
Concentrated solar power facilities are often large, sprawling across desert landscapes or the futuristic California of Blade Runner 2049. But smaller plants could offer a clean energy option for villages – if researchers could boost receiver efficiency. Sandia National Laboratories engineers have come closer to that goal with a fractal-like design for receivers that are as much as 20 percent better at absorbing light than…
02 Dec
2017
MIT students find a way to make stronger concrete with plastic bottles
Green Building Materials, Construction & Design | UNITED STATES
Published by : Eco Media Asia
Americans consume 8.6 billion water bottles — every year. Of those, only 1 of 5 is recycled. Fortunately, a handful of MIT students have developed a solution to this problem, and it involves repurposing waste plastic bottles to reinforce concrete. Because the newly-invented method results in the concrete being more durable than existing concrete, plastic bottles may soon be used to construct everything from stronger building foundations…
30 Nov
2017
Off-grid village with game-changing green solutions blooms in the Middle East
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | ISRAEL
Published by : Eco Media Asia
An oasis for clean-tech solutions has bloomed in an unexpected place—the arid Negev desert. Located at Israel’s Kibbutz Ketura north of the Red Sea, the Off-Grid Demonstration Village is a hot bed for game-changing off-grid solutions that aim to improve the lives of people outside the grid and to provide a testing ground for eco-minded companies. Rapidly deployable housing, low-cost renewable energy systems, and experimental technologies…
28 Nov
2017
Green-roofed village shows a more sustainable way to rebuild after disasters
Green Building Materials, Construction & Design | CHINA
Published by : Eco Media Asia
When the 8.0-magnitude Sichuan Earthquake devastated China in 2008, nearly 5 million people were left homeless. Rural Urban Framework, a non-profit research and design collaborative, saw construction in the wake of disaster as an opportunity to improve the lives of rural villagers through new building typologies. Their recently completed project, Jintai Village, is a socially and environmentally sustainable prototype for earthquake reconstruction…
26 Nov
2017
Zaha Hadid Architects’ futuristic KAPSARC named Saudi Arabia’s ‘smartest’ building
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | SAUDI ARABIA
Published by : Eco Media Asia
Despite its name, the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre (KAPSARC) is big on renewable energy, as evidenced by its LEED Platinum certification—the first of Zaha Hadid Architects’projects to receive the title. Located in the Riyadh Plateau, KAPSARC is a non-profit dedicated to studying energy and their environmental impacts. The futuristic, crystalline campus recently opened to the public for Saudi Design Week 2017, and the Honeywell…
24 Nov
2017
These hurricane-proof floating homes are packed with green features
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | UNITED STATES
Published by : Eco Media Asia
These solar-powered, zero-emissions floating homes are packed with green goodness. Designed by Dutch architect Koen Olthuis with Waterstudio in collaboration with Arkup, an “avant-garde life on water” company based in Miami, the livable yachts operate 100% off the grid and feature waste management, rainwater harvesting and water purification systems.The 4,350-square-foot homes are equipped with 30 kW of solar panels,…
22 Nov
2017
Incredible “green dreamscape” made of recycled threads takes over a Taipei lecture hall
Green Building Materials, Construction & Design | TAIWAN, ROC
Published by : Eco Media Asia
Taipei’s lush jungle landscape has crept indoors in the form of a “green dreamscape.” MVRDV and Argentinian textile artist Alexandra Kehayoglou transformed a 180-person lecture hall into an incredible sight with wall-to-wall carpets woven out of recycled threads that mimic natural textures like moss, water, trees, and pastures. Located at JUT Group’s head office, this wall-covering artwork references Taiwan’s sub-tropical environment…
20 Nov
2017
New green school in Kibera slum replaces original started by concerned Kenyan mothers
Green Building Materials, Construction & Design | KENYA
Published by : Eco Media Asia
A group of concerned mothers started the Anwa primary school in Kibera, Kenya, where extremely disadvantaged children previously lacked access to education. Over time, the school has grown in attendance and needed a new facility that would replace the original 2-story ramshackle building. Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI) designed the new main building in close collaboration with the school community as a model for sustainable, context-based…
18 Nov
2017
Recycled plastic paving company Platio installs first 3 solar systems
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | HUNGARY
Published by : Eco Media Asia
We’re so excited to announce that the Hungarian startup Platio, which designed a modular energy-harvesting paving system made with recycled plastic, has now installed their first three systems. Within a span of just two months, they developed projects in Hungary, Sweden, and Kazakhstan. And it’s not just sidewalks that now boast the solar pavers, but pontoons providing energy for ships, and benches where…
16 Nov
2017
Maryland grad turns recycled plastic bags into eco-fashion
Others | UNITED STATES
Published by : Eco Media Asia
Plastic is Trisha Cheeny’s bag. A recent graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art, where she majored in interdisciplinary sculpture, Cheeny is looking to launch Pälemer, a line of clothing and accessories derived from used plastic bags and other recycled materials. Cheeny created Pälemer to “challenge ‘fast fashion’ and eliminate consumer waste,” she wrote on Kickstarter, where she’s raising funds for her inaugural collection.Cheeny…
14 Nov
2017
Researchers turn recycled aluminum foil into cheaper, eco-friendlier biofuels
Others | IRELAND
Published by : Eco Media Asia
Don’t toss your bagel wrapper in the trash just yet; scientists at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland say they have discovered a way to turn used aluminum foil into a catalyst to create cheaper, eco-friendlier biofuels. Working with engineers from the university, Ahmed Osman, an early career researcher at the school of chemistry and chemical engineering, has developed a technique that extracts 100 percent pure single crystals of…
12 Nov
2017
Evaporation could generate 2.85 million megawatt hours of electricity each year
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | UNITED STATES
Published by : Eco Media Asia
In a world where much energy is wasted, valuable renewable sources may be disappearing into thin air. Scientists at Columbia University and elsewhere are working on harnessing electricity from the evaporation of water. According to Ozgur Sahin of Columbia University, water evaporating from the United States (excluding the Great Lakes) could provide up to 2.85 million megawatt hours of electricity per year – enough energy to meet two-thirds of…
10 Nov
2017
This giant Cup Monster wants Starbucks to use recyclable cups
Others | UNITED STATES
Published by : Eco Media Asia
A monster created with over 500 old Starbucks cups prowled outside a Seattle hotel this week. Advocacy group Stand.earth created the Cup Monster to pressure the company to deliver a better, recyclable cup. Although Starbucks has trialed recyclable cups, when you order that pumpkin spice latte or mocha today, the paper cup you hold still can’t be recycled in many regions.Stand.earth says Starbucks…
08 Nov
2017
World’s first 3D-printed bridge opens in the Netherlands
Green Building Materials, Construction & Design | NETHERLANDS
Published by : Eco Media Asia
The Netherlands just made history by officially opening the world’s first 3D-printed bridge. On Tuesday, Dutch officials celebrated the opening of the innovative bridge, which is 8 meters (26 ft) long and located near the town of Gemert. Thanks to reinforced, pre-stressed concrete and 3D-printing techniques, the bridge (which is primarily intended for cyclists) can safely bear the weight of 40 trucks. In total, the structure took just three…
06 Nov
2017
Google will be powered by 100% renewable energy by 2018
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | UNITED STATES
Published by : Eco Media Asia
After 10 years as a carbon-neutral company, Google has announced that all of its data centers and offices will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy by next year. The corporate giant made quick progress towards meeting its goal, which was set in 2016 and will be fulfilled by 2018. In its 2017 Environmental Report, Google declared that it had pioneered “new energy purchasing models that others can follow” and “helped drive wide-scale…
04 Nov
2017
Italy seeks to phase out coal power plants by 2025
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | ITALY
Published by : Eco Media Asia
Nation by nation, Europe is going green. The latest country to prove its commitment to sustainable solutions is Italy. On Tuesday, the Italian Industry Minister announced that by 2025, the country plans to phase out coal power plants. Additionally, the country plans to meet 27 percent of “gross overall energy consumption” with renewable sources by the year 2030.During a parliamentary hearing, Minister Carlo Calenda asked…
02 Nov
2017
China’s self-driving trackless train hits the streets of Zhuzhou
Green Transportation & Logistics | CHINA
Published by : Eco Media Asia
Back in June, Chinese company CRRC Corporation debuted a self-driving train that runs on virtual tracks – and it just officially hit the streets of Zhuzhou in China‘s Hunan Province. The Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) could ease emissions and traffic for a fraction of the cost of building a subway or streetcar system. The 100 percent electric train can transport as many as 300 passengers in three carriages…
31 Oct
2017
Solar-powered Noe Hill Smarthome is an eco-friendly dream in San Francisco
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency | UNITED STATES
Published by : Eco Media Asia
The LEED Platinum-certified Noe Hill Smart Ecohome marries state-of-the-art green technology and the indoor-outdoor lifestyle that urban dwellers dream about. The house, designed by EAG Studio, creates a healthy living environment with plenty of natural light, native plant gardens, rain catchment, solar power and a bevy of smart features to optimize power use. The house occupies a coveted site near the crest of the Collingwood hill in San…
29 Oct
2017
Dubai police unveil Star Wars-esque electric hoverbikes
Green Transportation & Logistics | UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Published by : Eco Media Asia
Dubai police could zip through the city on electric hoverbikes in the new future. At GITEX technology week, Dubai’s police force unveiled a hoverbike that can fly 43 miles per hour, 16 feet up in the air. The agency is considering deploying the Hoversurf Scorpion 3 to respond to emergencies. The Hoversurf Scorpion 3 is a battery-powered hoverbike that has a range of around 25 to 30 minutes. It can carry as much as 300…