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We have started receiving numerous e-mails from our editor, who sits in a hemp suit and tie, begging us to quit writing about clothes and accessories. "Write about gadgets," he begged, eating a Clif bar.  "Things I can tinker with. Things I can tweak."

 

We have to remind him that ladies are ecogeeks, too, and sometimes our moment of weakness in geekdom is spotting an adorable necklace made from real coffee beans . I mean, look at the sidebar. You can choose the tint of your necklace based on the roast of the coffee bean.

 

Nothing says "I'm organic, but in that caffeinated way" like taking public transportation wearing a Cafe AuLait necklace, earrings, or bracelet.  Each bean is naturally roasted to produce its full color, and then specially treated for strength and water resistance.

 

We'd type more but we're too busy ordering a Blackberry Mocha.

 

Via: Java Jewels 

{mosimage}A while back, a mysterious announcement printed by Physorg piqued the EcoGeek interest. According a press release from the Dubna Nuclear Institute, a 'battery' has been created that can extract energy from both solar and stellar sources, is twice as effective as solar panels at converting light into energy, and is cheaper to produce than solar panels.

Only one piece of information has arisen since we first spotted the article. A second release found at ITAR TASS explains that the substance is a 'heteroelectric' but does not explain what a heteroelectric is. They do, however, re-confirm that “This product of development studies has already proved its high efficiency both in darkness and in cloudy conditions.”

So, that's very exciting, but also very mysterious. We'll keep our eyes open and let you know when more information appears.

 Via PhysOrg and ITAR TASS

Google has created it's first "Mashup."   Mashups are, apparently, videos tours tied to Google Maps, further ushering Google into the category of content provider, as well as information manager.  

{mosimage}But, we here at EcoGeek aren't complaining, because the first Mashup they've chosen to release is maps.google.com/green .  Holy crap!  The Mashup, entitled "Have a Green Summer," provides environmentally conscious locales in five top destination cities (Orlando, Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco and Las Angeles.)  This EcoGeek is actually from Orlando and used to work at the Google Green featured Orlando Science Center, so that was pretty exciting for me. 

But I urge you to check it out, and their tips for how to conduct searches for environmentally friendly services and products.  

I'm not sure that traveling to any of the places listed could actually be considered environmentally friendly.  But, since we're probably gonna be traveling anyway, it's nice to see Google is giving us educational and ecologically minded options.   

Via Ecofriend, News.com 

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In case you just looked down at your to-do list and tapped your pencil thoughtfully on the entry "What have scientists in Belgium been up to?," we here at Ecogeek are happy to supply the answer.

 

They've been turning toilet water into electricity. No kidding.

 

Researchers at Ghent University have been working with microbial fuel cells, which are an emerging technology that helps capture the energy that is emitted when bacteria break down waste.

 

The project is still in a trial phase, but prototypes have produced small amounts of electricity.

 

Link via Ecofriend , news via ABC . 

 

 

Kimpton Hotels has decided to start rewarding the owners -- and, more importantly, renters -- of green cars by offering discounts on its hotel stays. The program is called the "Green Road Warrior Package" and is currently available in Boston, New York, and Washinton D.C.

 

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Kimpton has a list of 15 hybrid models that qualify for the discount, which lasts until September. So as you eye your summer dream vacation and rising gas prices, rent a green car and count on saving a little on your hotel stay.  

 

Via: Treehugger . 

As much as I've been falling in love with furniture made out of recycled materials and furniture that you can mail to yourself ,  this adorable chair-and-foot-stool set is the perfect EcoGeek guilty pleasure item, because it's cute as a button and made out of plastic drinking straws.

 

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Offered in limited supply are the chair, stool, partition, and my personal favorite, a lampshade.  Sometimes the furniture-out-of-unexpected-items seems like a good idea, but I'm trying to imagine sinking into a series of drinking straws after a long day of work. A lampshade, however, could be an adorable creation for drinking straws that otherwise are headed to the land fills.

 

Via: Promise design . (Drinking straw furniture under Post Industrial Arts.) 

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While "The Da Vinci Code" overshadowed most movie screenings in Cannes, rising from the publicity ashes is the unlikely star Al Gore, who has been making the rounds promoting a global warming documentary called "An Inconvenient Truth."  

 

In a review published today in the New York Times ,  movie reviewer A.O. Scott points out that this is not, however, the Al Gore Show:

 

 

The film is being touted for its clear descriptions of complicated subjects, and has been receiving rave reviews about being an engaging and sometimes even humorous look at the future of global warming.

 

The film opens today in New York and Los Angeles. 

 

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It's a whole new generation of campers -- we need our cell phones on and charged at all times, and I'm now finally numb to passing the little campers on the trail that have brought their portable DVD players.

 

Whatever electronics you can't live with as you negotiate the great outdoors, you have a cool way to charge it with this new device, the Sunlinq roll-up solar panel. It can charge your cell phone, PDA, digital video cameras and mp3 players.

 

This little guy is weatherproof, UV resistant, and very flexible -- you can attach it to your coat or backpack to create a little solar backpack while you hike.  

 

If you really need some power, you can up the voltage by attaching one of the 6.5 spec sheets to one of the 12 or 25 spec sheets.  

 

Via: Ecofriend . 

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For those of us that have to pack up everything we own and move once a year, we start to look at any larger pieces of furniture with abject hatred throughout the year.

 

But rather than toss the "free" sign on our clumsier items and dumping them in the front yard, maybe we could check out these bookshelves from D.E. Sellers.

 

This bookcase was created without any waste at all, and uses no fasteners or glue. You can even just pack it up in a big 'ole envelope and mail it to your next address if you run out of room on the Penske.  

 

Sellers has also created a single-panel series in which movers can create a table and chairs from a single sheet of wood, though it looks like the comfort level may be sacrificed for movability.

 

Via: Treehugger . 

 

 

 

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Starting this week France will start posting eco labels that will be indicate the CO2 emissions per kilometer for each car.

 

As France’s environment minister, Nelly Olin, said, “We must avoid a drift towards cars that are too big for our towns, too polluting, like in other countries."

 

Hopefully Olin hasn't visited our hometown, where soccer moms drive Hummers to go grab a gallon of milk at the grocery store. And we really hope Olin doesn't know that we've currently made a sport out of watching college girls try to parallel-park the SUVs that their daddies bought them.

 

A matching "energy label" will also become compulsory for French homes starting in July. 

 

Via: Greenbiz .