Kanguru has just released the first ever hard-drive marketed directly at EcoGeeks. I gotta say...I want one. The drives have three power modes that allow for an energy savings of up to 75% and the drives are fully RoHS compliant (no hazardous substances.)
Of course, when they say that they're "the most efficient external harddrives" that isn't technically true. Using a 2.5 inch external laptop harddrive will use far less energy, and it's relatively easy to create one out of a casing and an old laptop harddrive. Which is fine if you only need 40 to 80 gigs. But the Kanguru goes all the way up to 750 gigs...($350.)
For the EcoGeek who just can't find enough space for all his trillions of ebooks, the Kanguru Eco Drive line is a great choice.
After some a '63 Corvette was spotted racing a Ferrari and a Tesla Roadster, some people started asking some questions. AutoBlogGreen contacted Tesla about the as-yet-unreleased electric car and discovered that the sighting was part of a commercial for Project Gotham Racing.
This marks the first time (I'm pretty sure) that an electric vehicle will be featured in a true-to-life video racing game. The Tesla is, of coruse, a magnficent car, and its tons of fun to watch it zipping around with these other amazing automobiles.
Check the video after the jump. I love how the Corvette keeps spinning out on the turns, as is ever-so-common in the ultra-realistic Project Gotham Racing.
Large scale LEED projects sometimes install massive systems to treat and re-use
greywater (water from sinks that has been used for washing, as opposed to
sewage waste, which is termed black water) for flushing toilets. Now, you can do the same thing in your very own home!
The Aqus
system collects the water from a bathroom sink and filters and
disinfects it before it gets re-used as flush water for an adjacent
toilet. (There is nothing that would prevent this from being used in a
large-scale LEED project either.)
"Our system is expected to save between 10 and 20 gallons of fresh water
per day for two person bathrooms with normal activities. This represents
between 3,650 and 7,300 gallons of fresh water saved per year. An equal
amount of wastewater cost is also saved." This would mean an annual
savings of $40.88 to $81.76 (based on an average rate of $5.60 per 1,000
gallons) from using a device like this.
The Aqus system can be retrofitted to an existing toilet without great
difficulty (the company likens it to the difficulty of installing a new
toilet and/or an over-the-stove microwave oven). It can be connected to a
standard 1.6 gallon two-piece toilet.
Somenath Mitra, PhD of the New Jersey Institute of
Technology (NJIT) has developed an inexpensive solar material that can be
sprayed on surfaces or printed on plastic with an ink jet printer.“The process is simple,” said Mitra, “Someday
homeowners will even be able to print sheets of these solar cells with
inexpensive home-based inkjet printers. Consumers can then slap the finished
product on a wall, roof or billboard to create their own power stations.” Well...if he says so! Though I don't want to think about how much an ink cartridge of fullerene is going to cost us.
Mitra’s invention, a “Fullerene single wall carbon nanotube
complex for polymer bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cells,” is featured as the
June 21, 2007 cover story of the Journal of Materials Chemistry published by
the Royal Society of Chemistry.
“Developing organic solar cells from polymers, however, is a
cheap and potentially simpler alternative” to silicon cells, said Mitra.
We foresee a great
deal of interest in our work because solar cells can be inexpensively printed
or simply painted on exterior building walls and/or roof tops. Imagine some day
driving in your hybrid car with a solar panel painted on the roof, which is
producing electricity to drive the engine.The opportunities are endless.
The solar cell developed at NJIT uses a carbon nanotube
complex. Nanotubes can conduct current better than any
conventional electrical wire. “Actually, nanotubes are significantly better
conductors than copper,” Mitra added.
Mitra and his research team took the carbon nanotubes and
combined them with tiny carbon Buckyballs (known as fullerenes) to form snake-like
structures.Buckyballs trap electrons,
although they can’t make electrons flow. Add sunlight to excite the polymers,
and the buckyballs will grab the electrons. Nanotubes, behaving like copper
wires, will then be able to make the electrons or current flow.
“Using this unique combination in an organic solar cell
recipe can enhance the efficiency of future painted-on solar cells,” said
Mitra.“Someday, I hope to see this
process become an inexpensive energy alternative for households around the
world.”
From a New Jersey Institute of Technology press release.
Hi, I'm considering purchasing a 2007
Mercedes Bluetec e320 Diesel. My question is "Is this car really
green?"
My 04 Prius has 60k miles and is worse
for wear and I'm too tall to comfortably drive it any longer. I can't
help but think the Bluetec is a step in reverse for me personally and
that I really want to move forward with a Plug-in Hybrid or full EV,
but no options exist. I'm tired of driving a constrictive tiny car
built for the 95% of Japanese people, I'm not willing to accept a
hybrid SUV, the notion is ridiculous. I want 50mpg+! and I want to
stop BURNING fuel. What's my next car? Thanks! Lex
Hey Lex,
Is the Mercedes Bluetec e320 Diesel
green? Well, one thing's for certain...it doesn't feel
as green as a Prius. Unfortunately, it's hard to get both the green
feeling and the headroom. Green cars aren't small because they're
built for Japanese people, they're small because to be efficient,
cars need to be light, and present a low profile to the 70 mph winds
that constantly buffet highway cars.
Of course, that's
one reason why diesels are an intriguing option. They may not seem
green, but they do provide more power while producing less CO2. The
e320 Diesel is a great car, and while you might not look green, you
will look good while getting almost 40 mpg. The carbon savings are
there, but, you're absolutely right, it's a step backwards from a
Prius.
The real question
is, what are the options for folks who want efficiency as well as
comfort. Unfortunately, for a real choice, you're going to have to go
small or wait. I seriously would suggest halving your budget and
going to your Honda and Toyota dealerships to check out the Fit, the
Yaris, the Civic, the Altima and even the Corolla. These cars aren't
really built for the same markets as a $50,000 BluTec Benz, but while
your friends might think you're crazy, they won't when you tell them
how much you spend on gas.
If the second
option, waiting, sounds more pleasant, then you might very well have
some nice options coming down the pipe. The 2008 Prius will have a
different body, so you might find it more comfortable than the '04.
Additionally, the 2009 Prius might very well offer a plug-in version
that will allow you realize your dream of not burning fuel anymore.
At least until you hit 40 mph. Also, I should mention that the new
body is absolutely beautiful.
Into the 2010s I
promise you'll start seeing vehicles that will not only burn less (or
no) fuel, they will also have folks drooling at the sweetness of your
style. Plug-in and hybrid options will start popping onto the market
in all shapes and sizes and full EV cars might not be too far away.
I'm afraid those
are your options. The ultra-efficient BluTec diesel engines allow for
big beautiful cars to get pretty decent gas mileage. I understand
wanting to lay your cash down there, if you've got it. But if you
really want to look, feel and be green...go small...or wait.
Ask the EcoGeek is
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HP has just recycled its one billionth pound, six months ahead of schedule. HP has always had one of the best recycling programs in personal computing but this event marks a major milestone.
Not only is this a huge amount of recycled waste, but HP CEO Mark Hurd also says that "We've reached the tipping point
where the price and performance of IT are no longer compromised by
being green, but are now enhanced by it." This is amazing news. It means that companies who have invested in recycling programs and infrastructure are now making a profit by recycling products at the end of their life.
It's one thing for HP to recycle out of the goodness of its heart, it's quite another thing for them to now be able to wag their tongues at their competitors and say "we're making friends and money."
A new line of plastic eating utensils from the Dutch firm
De Ster uses potato starch as the basic polymer. This application of potato
starch to replace plastic is the result of a collaboration between the German
firm BIOTEC (for raw materials) and Dutch manufacturer of disposables
plastic worldwide, De Ster.
This is the first time potato plastic has been used in a product
which replaces conventional plastic.De Ster has replaced standard plastic ware with an ergonomical, high-tech, high-design product.
Potato starch is a biopolymer with the same properties as
conventional plastics. In the manufacturing process the material can be treated
like plastics, for instance subjected to normal injection moulding techniques.
With these disposables a biodegradable product made from an agricultural raw
material is completely reusable as compost. A new generation of biopolymers
which can be recycled into cattle-fodder is currently being developed.
While
De Ster claims to have a unique product, they should watch out for
start up Spudware, a line of Potato based cutlery from Excellent
Packaging and Supply in Richmond CA. Their Spudware uses the same basic potato to plastic process - albeit without the designer flair.
Or maybe they should be watching out for you! Check out this DIY project (pdf) where you can extract
starch from potatoes and make it into plastic in your own home.
There are hundreds of millions of unused cell phones sitting in junk drawers and glove compartments in America alone. It's sill, they're very fancy, expensive pieces of machinery and when Verizon says "oh, sorry, your old phone won't work with our new plan," all you can say is "Well, fine...but just so you know, I hate you and you're destroying the Earth."
But now there's at least half a solution. CellforCash.com will buy your old unused cell phones from you, as long as you don't wait too long for them to go completely obsolete. Even then, however, they'll recycle your old phone for free.
Just use their search tool, find your phone, enter your address and they send you a box and shipping materials. Once you send your phone to them, they'll send you a check for anything from $5 to well over $100. My LG VX9800 is worth $52. Though, I'm definitely still using it...so no trade-in for me just yet.
It's hard to imagine anything more ecogeeky than classic Tezuka Osamu manga characters celebrating the Prius' 10th anniversary. See how many you can spot...yes, there's Astroboy and Kimba the White Lion, but are you geeky enough to recognize Princess Sapphire and Choppy as well?
There's a couple of reports flying around that HP7 (Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hallows) is the greenest book in history! Well, I just wanted to let everyone know that that is complete crap.
Sorry if I'm being snide, but this is a ridiculous headline, especially
considering that HP7 is nothing like the greenest book in history.
Rebelling Against Recycling After the publication of the extremely long and best-selling Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix, J.K. Rowling got a bit disturbed by the plight of the trees. Indeed, 250,000 trees were required for that printing. So she asked her publishers to print the book on 100% recycled paper. Almost all of her publishers agreed. Unfortunately, her largest publisher, Scholastic, which publishes the U.S. editions, did not agree. And now, instead of having a "no trees were harmed in the making of this book" label, we've got a "we chopped down 30% less trees than we could've...we're so green!" annoucement.
Electronic Idiocy Worst of all, in my opinion, is that no Harry Potter book has ever been downloaded legally. Rowling made this decision years ago, citing fears about piracy. Obviously it's ridiculous to suppose that this decision has in any way decreased piracy, as every book is available for download if you know where to look (including the yet-to-be-released HP7.) An Electronic HP7 might have been the greenest book in history, but Rowling made a bad decision, and so that is unfortunately not possible.
Missed Opportunities There has never been a book more suited for electronic release. With Harry Potter, people are willing to pay to a premium to receive the book as soon as possible. That could have been arranged, with a simple system allowing folks to pay upfront for an ebook delivery by email. This could have been a boon for the budding ebook industry. It could have helped standardize formats and introduced people to the idea. It could have made Jo and her publishers additional millions. It could have saved tens of thousands of trees.
Buy Used, Borrow or Trade Though in all of these circumstances Rowling gets exactly as much money as if you download the book online, these three practices haven't been outlawed yet. There will be tens of thousands of used HP7s in the coming weeks, so find a friend who's finished theirs, swap them for some other fantasy classic, or just promise to bring it back in a week or two. Unfortunately, libaries will necessarily be short on the books, but you can get on waiting lists.
Buy Canadian If you still haven't bought HP7, I do not endorse pirating it. If you want your own copy, the best thing you can do is head to Amazon.ca, and buy the Canadian edition. Rowling's Canadian publisher, Raincoast Books, was the first to publish 100% recycled Harry Potter books and have since converted their entire domestic line to 100% post consumer content. Plus, the Canadian edition keeps all the quaint British words and spellings. A must-have for any true Harry Potter dork.
In Conclusion I'm not saying that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a particularly ungreen book, nor am I saying that you should feel guilty about buying a copy (I certainly don't.) But I think it's important to recognize what's "green" and what isn't. All I'm saying is that it's not the greenest book in history.
Maybe my ears are just pointed in a very specific direction, but it seems rare
when a day passes and I don't hear someone extolling the possibilities of clean
technology. But it's not entirely clear what clean technology encompasses and
how this very broad new category of technology is going to benefit our world in
the coming decades.
I honestly don't know...but Ron Pernick does. Ron is the head of the leading clean
tech research firm, Clean Edge. His experiences at Clean Edge working with experts
from industries ranging from carbon composites to water filtration has made him
a leading clean technology expert, and uniquely qualified to write a book entitled
"The Clean Tech Revolution." (on Amazon)
We're very happy to have Ron Pernick as our EcoGeek of the Week.
EcoGeek: The work that Clean Edge does seems extremely important, even
though I don't really have any idea what you do there. Can you tell us about Clean
Edge and your work?
Ron Pernick: We do a lot of interesting things at Clean Edge
to track and analyze the development of clean technologies. This includes our
annual Clean-Tech Investor Summit which we coproduce with IBF; the NASDAQ Clean
Edge U.S. index which is a benchmark index tracking U.S.-listed clean energy companies;
the publishing of our web site at www.cleanedge.com and our monthly newsletter
CLEANWATCH; and a range of research reports including our annual Clean Energy
Trends series. We also provide clean-tech related consulting services to investment
firms, corporations, start ups, governments, and foundations. Since 2001 our clients
have included such organization as Sharp, California Energy Commission, the City
of San Francisco, the Solar Catalyst Group, Nth Power, Solaria, Solaicx, Miasole,
and the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund.
EG: How do you draw a box around clean tech? It seems to be a category
that can includes facets of every industry. So what is clean tech, and how do
you know what not to include?
Who would have thought that a little sticker would be the most significant advancement in green computing of 2006. Of course, there's a lot of knowledge and money behind these little stickers, but the results of the first 6 months of EPEAT certifications are in. And it looks to be quite good news.
EPEAT basically certifies electronic equipment with a bronze, silver or gold rating based on a number of environmental standards. How long does the product last, can it be recycled, will it be recycled, does it contain hazardous substances? All of these questions and more are asked and answered by the people at EPEAT. Only two computers, so far, have been rated EPEAT gold. But as manufacturers strive to get their little stickers (and publish press releases) the world is becoming a cleaner place.
So far, EPEAT certified computers, when compared with non-certified machines, have:
Saved 13.7 billion kWh of
electricity
Saved 24.4 million metric tons
of materials
Prevented 56.5 million metric
tons of air pollution
Prevented 118,000 metric tons of
water pollution;
Reduced toxic material use by
1,070 metric tons
Avoided the disposal of 41,100
metric tons of hazardous waste
And those numbers are just for the last half of 2006. All for the want of a little sticker, electronics companies are cleaning up their acts. Hopefully it won't be long before EPEAT has to introduce a new "platinum" medal, because too many folks are already getting golds.
In America we still think of diesel cars as loud and stinky, but in the last few years, clean-burning diesel engines have become quite desireable as a fuel-efficient choice for the rest of the world. So guess what, folks are predicting that the larges automobile market in the world (the U.S.) is about to catch up.
By 2010, diesels will be burning up American roads. Right now our options are limited to large trucks and some Volkswagon and Mercedes models. But soon we can expect American diesels from every manufacturer in America except Ford.
The good news is that diesel cars get better gas mileage than their gasoline counter parts and are only marginally more expensive. The Mercedes BuTec diesel line (pictured above) has already been touted as some of the most fuel efficient luxury cars in America.
Science, technology gadgets and...baby seals. We're in a bit of an eco-mess, but we've got the brains to lick any problem. And that's why EcoGeek.org publishes up to ten stories daily about innovations that are saving the planet.
And if that sounds interesting to you, then congratulations, you're an EcoGeek.
Large scale LEED projects sometimes install massive systems to treat and re-use
greywater (water from sinks that has been used for washing, as opposed to
sewage waste, which is termed black water) for flushing toilets. Now, you can do the same thing in your very own home!
Somenath Mitra, PhD of the New Jersey Institute of
Technology (NJIT) has developed an inexpensive solar material that can be
sprayed on surfaces or printed on plastic with an ink jet printer.
