The UN unveiled a new database yesterday spotlighting how companies around the world are adapting to climate change.

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GE, Bayer, BASF Join Other Top Firms in UN Climate Adaptation Project

Despite having long been skeptical of the ability to create any meaningful ranking of the world's most sustainable companies, I'm impressed by the list that was just put out by the Canadian magazine Corporate Knights.

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Is This the World’s Best ‘Greenest Companies’ List?

Novel molecules with as much surface area per volume as a football field could be used to store more hydrogen than compressed gas, extending the range of fuel-cell electric vehicles. Originally posted at News – Cutting Edge

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Hydrogen ‘sponge’ could extend EV driving range

With just three years available to squeeze lead, mercury, cadmium and other toxic materials from their products, manufacturers like Varian Medical Systems are scrambling to ensure compliance with the new rules.

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Varian Puts Its Supply Chain Under the Scope Ahead of RoHS 2.0

Gadget junkies: It's time to explore the possibilities and benefits of stepping off the treadmill of constantly upgrading to the latest and greatest gear, and setting your unwanted electronics free to find second lives.

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Un-Shopping, reCommerce & Building a Business on Buying Less

Despite widespread beliefs that clean technologies are struggling under political and technological burdens, the reality is that green is growing and holds more promise than ever.

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Cleantech Survives a Crisis of Confidence

A newly relaunched green hub on the retail website might be ho-hum news — except for what it says about green teams' abilities to push sustainability both internally and externally.

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How eBay Uses its Website to Drive Sustainability and Innovation

Sonia Renthlei: Old and unused materials usually end up in the town’s dump, once they’ve outlived their usefulness. This is the case with all consumer products. The problem lies in the fact that such discarding of materials adds significantly to landfills, posing hazards to health and the environment. Recycling has long been proposed as a solution to help reduce the garbage issue. Despite this, most of us do next to nothing to reinvent old products, and would rather discard them and buy new ones. A small section of people, however, strive to make beautiful art from old stuff. Using skateboards, they’ve created functional and trendy items that look good and serve a purpose as well. Pure Skateboard Shelf Pure Skateboard Shelf Why spend a few hundreds of dollars on brand new shelves when you can make your own? Patrick Drake has used his love for the environment to recycle old skateboards to make handy shelves that can hold books, magazines and decorative items. His project, called Pure Skateboard Shelf, utilized the natural shape of a skateboard along with the holes drilled in them so that any additional cutting or brackets were not needed. The skateboards’ trucks have been used as bookends which also prevent the boards from falling forward by acting as weights. For the base, Drake used a full skateboard complete with wheels as a stand. The wheels have been tightened such that they can’t roll, making the shelf stable. Elegant lounge chair Elegant lounge chair The simple shape of a skateboard is so versatile that is can be turned into almost anything. The elegant lounge chair has been crafted from old boards but you wouldn’t have guessed it. After all, who would have thought that old skateboards could look so elegant? Sitting on a metal frame are eight old boards minus the trucks and wheels. The boards have been covered with neoprene cushions to give the chair a leathery look and feel. Called the Jet Set Lounge Chair, it’s being marketed by Skate Study House. iPhone cases iPhone Cases A large number of us have an iPhone these days and since these expensive cellphones are delicate, they need protection from daily wear and tear. While there are many cases in the market, not many look as trendy and funky as those made by artist Lindsay Jo Holmes of Grove, made in collaboration with MapleXO. These limited edition iPhone cases have been made by cutting old skateboards into strips, which have then been glued together. The result is colorful cases in rainbow like hues that are durable and one of a kind. Colorful new old skateboard bench Colorful New Old Skateboards Bench Deckstool is the brain behind this awesome looking bench. Five feet in length, the company recycles old skateboards provided by customers or salvages the necessary materials to produce street urban design benches. Metal trucks act as support for the stands over which the wooden decks are placed. What makes the benches stand out is that the designs retain little scratches and nicks made by users in the past, lending the creations a familiar and more comfortable feel. Skateboard sculptures Skateboard Sculptures Moving away from functionality, Japanese artist, Haroshi, has teamed up with DLX Distribution and HUF to create wonderful pieces of art from used skateboards. So smooth are the designs that anyone would mistake them for something other than mere skateboards. Haroshi performs his magic by stripping old boards of their grip paint and then gluing them together in stacks. The result is a block of stacked boards that serves as the basis for his skill with a jig saw. The pieces are then polished to a fine sheen and sold to customers. Old skateboards transform into amazing artwork Old Skateboards Amazing Artwork A group of artists functioning under the name Nube are working to restore old skateboards into works of art. The artists are part of a project called Reskate which seeks to convert the finished boards into mini longboards. The boards, which are stripped and restored, are given to the artists who work their magic, creating limited edition pieces that have amazing details. The finished products were displayed at Berlin’s Pantocrator Gallery last year. Recycled skateboard stools Recycled Skateboard Stools Most skateboards feature amazing graffiti work that speaks of style and individuality. With the time taken to create such unique pieces, it’s always a shame that many are discarded. Deckstool, the same company that creates skateboard benches, has crafted trendy stools from reclaimed skateboards. The metal trucks are used as a joining point for the seat and stand, providing a sturdy support for users. Like its benches, Deckstool’s seats have elements of street urban designs that perfectly complement the identity of skaters.

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Best recycled products made from discarded skateboards

Abdul Vahid V: Italian firms Med Computer and Biomood have created biodegradable cases for Apple iPhone, the iNature. It was demonstrated at CES 2012 in Las Vegas. The iNature cases will decompose about 90 percent in soil in 180 days after you throw away them. They are made from a native Italian bio-plastic, called the Apinat. The material is ideal to protect your iPhone from falls, scratches and shocks, as it fits well around your handset. iNature Bio-Degradable Outfits The iNature case can withstand harsh climate and won’t wear out even in heat, humidity or other still conditions. However, what makes it even more amazing are its biodegradable features. Like most iPhone cases, iNature won’t make any stress on ecology as it easily rots. The world today is in need of exactly this technology, which helps avert polluting the environment. The iNature case was one among the devices that grabbed the CES Innovations 2012 Design and Engineering Awards. Along with iNature, the Italian firms unveiled an iNature BioRolly, which is also a biodegradable technology accessory. The BioRolly is meant to wrap up cables and chords to shun away annoying tangling. The iNature iPhone case comes in three models with various tints. The case is priced at $19.9 and you can grab it from the product web site. The product will fit well around all recent models including iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and 4S. Get an iNature case for your iPhone and save the earth from more plastic and hard garbage. Via: GreenPacks

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Italian firms bring you iNature: A biodegradable iPhone case

Sonia Renthlei: The drive to find sustainable means of transportation has never been so urgent than at present. The sheer number of cars on the road has caused traffic jams in all urban cities around the world to the point that traffic snarls have become the norm. Besides this, air pollution has reached alarming levels, posing health hazard to citizens. Our use of fossil fuel powered vehicles is one of the major contributors to pollution, which is why researchers are constantly trying to develop alternative methods of transportation. It is only now that the idea of sustainable transportation is slowly gaining ground as our technology has given us the tools to create vehicle concepts that are green and clean. People have come up with some clever but bizarre designs for public transport which may just turn into reality in the future.

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Five most bizarre concepts promoting sustainable transportation