Here’s a device that looks like a tree trunk and does your lungs a favor by purposefully pointing out how dirty the air around you is and does a small bit of cleaning and filtering too! Known as the Eco-Green Ring, this hook-onto-your-wall tree trunk-like device uses a series of lights to indicate the purity of air. Those tiny twinkly lights remind us how much just how much pollution we fill our beloved lungs with. Designed by Park Jun Seok and Kwon Hye Rim, the Green Ring uses a red light to denote that the air is dreadful, and green lights to show that it’s as clean as the top of a Himalayan mountain. That’s not all. This environment loving tree trunk also uses recycled materials like recycled plastic and waterbome paint, pushing the green factor upwards. So what powers up this device? Human power! All you need to do is pull the little branch on the side to rev up power supply.

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We usually use water from kettles to make ourselves that hot refreshing cup of tea. Well here’s an eco-friendly way to boiling water before you pour it into your mug. Known as the Echo Chrome kettle, this appliance is equipped with a reservoir that holds a full capacity of water ready for your disposal. The measuring button enables your preferred quantity of water to be released in a separate chamber for boiling. This prevents the wastage of water allowing you to boil only the required amount. This stylish kettle with its shiny smooth chrome finish also boasts of the celebrated Recommended mark by the Energy Saving Trust. This was the first time the award was given in the EST newly established kettle category.

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Hybrid cars are finding their place in the market and on the roads now with their evergreen and everclean policies. To push this technology further, here’s a new fuel injection system that will help hybrid cars deliver more than the do today. Developed by Transonic Combustion, this system helps increase fuel efficiency by heating and pressurizing gasoline before injecting it into the combustion chamber. This allows for a very fast and clean combustion which decreases the amount of fuel required to power up the vehicle. The system also uses supercritical fluids and does not require a spark to ignite fuel. Heat and pressure helps the fluid combust without the need of a spark.

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Transformer fans have something to smile about and drool at. Here’s an Optimus Prime robot from the Transformer series that has a green touch to it, it’s made out of recycled steel. Standing 2.5 meters tall, this replica is made out of bits and pieces pulled out from TVs, cars and a whole sack-load of industrial byproducts that would find their place in a garbage dump instead. Robosteel, the company that gave birth to this smaller and greener version of the Transformers hero has made sure that this green masterpiece stands through time. A layer of lacquer helps protect the replica from the elements and not the Decepticons who this Transformer has spent his eternity fighting with.

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Toilet systems get smarter and greener with innovations like the NoMix. This system in your bathroom apparatus helps separate urine and solid waste. This helps make the work of municipal waste plants easier and produces more methane to generate electricity. It also helps make the task of extracting phosphorous and nitrogen easier which can be used as fertilizers. Studies and surveys in 7 European countries have shown that around 75−85% of users are well satisfied with the NoMix’s designing, hygiene, smell, seating and comfort. 85% people have considered the use of these fertilizers as a good idea and 70% would purchase such food.

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Loblaw, Canada’s largest supermarket chain has decided to opt for solar energy for its stores. It has decided to have solar panels installed on the roofs of four of its stores as a pilot project with an ultimate aim of installing such solar panels in more than 100 of its stores in Ontario. This move, though taken by Loblaw due a major economic reason (the feed-in-tariffs for solar power are very low) could really be a great help to the environment. A large amount of electricity would be saved in the summer alone when the air conditioning requirements go up.

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Cornell University’s Textile and Nanotech Lab which had teamed up with two Italian labs have devised a way by which they can make cotton threads conduct electricity along with maintaining the lightness and flexibility of cotton. Although this has been achieved before, it was at the cost of the fabric losing its natural feel. In this method, natural cotton fibers are coated with a combination of semiconductor polymers and nanoparticles in a coating less than 100 nanometres thick which helps to retain the flexibility of cotton. Using this fabric a dress has been made which can charge a mobile device or an MP3 player using a USB port by using solar energy.

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For those who don’t know, currently used plastics are developed from petroleum products and are very difficult to recycle. However, IBM’s researchers co operated by some Stanford University scientists recently made a groundbreaking discovery. This discovery could help to make plastics that are plant based rather than petroleum based, thus making them more environment friendly. And that’s not all. This discovery could help to make plastics that are recyclable more than once. This would apply to all kinds of plastics ranging from the type used in car parts to the type used to make soda bottles.

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The ‘Pixel’ building, which is so named due to its façade which looks like a pixelated surface, is a rare example of aesthetic as well as scientific brilliance. This four storey building designed by Studio 505 Architects is to be located in Australia and is supposed to cost around $6 million. The building is supposed to be carbon neutral in the sense that all the carbon emitted, not only while constructing the building but also while producing the parts required to build it is going to be compensated for by the photovoltaic array on the roof. Apart from making the construction of the building carbon free, the building will also have devices such as an ozone-free heat pump chiller, grass roof covering, and reed-bed system which will help filter impure water and also provide shade on the windows.

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Orlando de Urrutia has developed the Eco-Cybernetic city, a self sufficient architectural marvel which can make use of solar, water and wind energy to generate usable energy. This 150 storey structure consists of two buildings. It has ‘aerogenerators’ mounted between the two buildings, which use the wind flowing between the two buildings to generate electricity. The building also has a built-in mechanism for rainwater harvesting. Apart from this, the exterior of the building is covered with photovoltaic arrays which will be used to harness solar energy. However, the most unusual and innovative part of the building is the bio-climatic panels. These panels can be used to grow vegetation on the surface of the building which helps to purify the air surrounding the building along with providing it with a unique visual appeal.

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Sheng-cheh, a student from Taiwan, has invented a life jacket which may greatly reduce the risk involved in sea travelling. Though normal life jackets keep a person afloat, a major cause of death at sea is due to the hypothermia caused by the water. However, Sheng-cheh’s invention LIFEON consists of chlorophyll solar cells which get charged within 10 second after coming in contact with water and can heat up the life saver to human body temperature and can maintain it up to 72 hours. Apart from this, it also has a GPS system and compartments that can hold food and water.

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It is a known fact that if we can emulate the process of photosynthesis carried out by plants to convert solar energy into sugars, all our energy problems can be solved. Prof. Nathan Nelson and his research team at the Tel Aviv University's Department of Biochemistry are a step closer to achieving this goal. According to Professor Nelson, plants have an evolved nano-machinery to generate energy from the sun with the help of a PhotoSystem I complex. Professor Nelson and his research team have managed to extract this complex from pea leaves. By placing this complex on a gold plated surface, the team managed to produce about 10V of electric energy.

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Iwatani Corp unveiled the concept for a bike running on a Li-ion battery charged by using a hydrogen fuel cell at the FC Expo. The bike can run for approximately 45km if the 26V, 4Ah battery is completely charged and the hydrogen cartridge is full. The Li-ion battery is charged using a Proton-Exchange Fuel Cell (PEFC) system which can produce around 60W of power. This PEFC system consists of a Hydrogen cartridge, a coupler for connecting the cartridge an adjusting valve to regulate the pressure of hydrogen coming from the cartridge, a PEFC and a blower for sending air to the PEFC. The hydrogen cartridge with an internal capacity of 0.25l of can store around 7g of hydrogen.

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A 1966 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa has been put up for sale on eBay. The unusual thing about this offer is that the car has been converted to run on electric power. According to the information provided by the seller, the car uses a 144V AC 24 conversion kit costing around $10,000 made by Electroauto. Although the exact information is not provided by the seller, according to Electroauto sources, the car can hit a top speed of 90mph and can cover approximately 50 miles (depending on the driving conditions) on a single charge of its 18V lead acid battery which is mounted as low as possible for good balance.

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The need to use renewable resources and save up on the depleting energy sources is being realized today. The spotlight today is now on the use of green energy sources. Generating electricity using renewable sources may seem ideal, however the question now arises as to how much power can a grid handle and distribute. Take Texas for an example. Just last week, wind power generation reached a record high of 6,242 MW. This may sound pleasant to our ears. Here’s the glitch though, officials had to curb wind power generation since it was too much for the electrical lines to handle and supply to urban areas like Dallas-Fort Worth.

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