Image credit: LlewTube From test driving the Mitsubishi MiEV through taking a ride with Ecotricity’s Dale Vince to interviewing Diarmuid O’Connell of Tesla , I am a huge fan of Robert Llewellyn’s Llewtube show. The format of taking an interesting personality—often involved in green technology or po… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Green Politics, NIMBYism & EVs: LlewTube Meets Chris Goodall (Video)

The remarkable thing about the 1 hour design challenges at Core77 is how clever some of the ideas are, and how well presented, given that they are ostensibly done in an hour. Of course there is no way of knowing if the designer took a day or a week, and some of them look like they took the full month. The competition ending Sunday night is for the design of short term emergency shelters, with the prize being a $500 donation to Architecture for Humanity. Of course , Cameron Sinclair of AFH would probably say that the last thing the Haitians need are i… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Last Chance To Enter Core77′s One Hour Design Challenge

Eco Factor: Desalination plants to provide freshwater to animals in Abu Dhabi. Water resources experts from the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi have planned to deploy 30 small-scale solar-powered desalination plants over the next 15 months to provide potable water to animals living in Abu Dhabi’s desert environment. Two of the plants are already operational and convert brackish water from underground aquifers to fresh water. The cost of using solar power for large-scale desalination plants that can provide millions of liters of freshwater are still too high, but small scale solar-powered desal plants and their operating cost for the next 15 years is lower than transporting oil to these places to create energy. Each plant will be of identical size and have a desalination capacity of five cubic meters of water per hour. To be operated remotely, these plants will harvest solar energy by panels spanning 300 square meters – enough to generate 45KW of renewable electricity per hour. These plants will provide a water source for the thousands of animals in the middle of the desert where there is no power. Via: Gulf News

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Solar-powered desal plants to provide potable water to animals in Abu Dhabi

Eco Factor: Sustainable outdoor building powered by solar energy. Architects 3DReid have unveiled an innovative and sustainable external learning building at the BSEC School Construction conference. Dubbed the rotatED, the building has been developed in collaboration with Blue Forest, and can be turned on any of its seven sides to create an outdoor place with multiple application areas. The concept has been developed in response to feedback from students, staff and stakeholders seeking environmentally conscious buildings that promote healthy living. The simple building allows the owners to personalize the space in various ways to suit their needs. The rotatED is provided as a base shelter with the opportunity for schools to select features from a range of finishes to photovoltaic panels and toilets depending on the budget and specific requirements. Via: Building

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rotatED – An eco-conscious building capable of rotating on its sides

Eco Factor: Universal remote powered by solar energy. The latest advancements in storage technology have made most portable electronic devices rely on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to prevent toxic batteries from being disposed. However, there are still a few gadgets like remote control that rely heavily on disposable batteries. The Leopard is out there to better your eco-credentials with solar energy. The Leopard is a universal TV remote that is not only powered by rechargeable battery, but also uses renewable energy to generate electricity. All the user has to do is to select your TV model corresponding with a number on the remote control and after a few seconds the solar remote control is ready. The lightweight remote control’s solar panel can also generate electricity without direct sunlight by converting indoor artificial light into electricity to recharge the onboard battery. The Leopard Universal TV remote can be purchased from GreenStamp for just £9.99.

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Leopard solar-powered universal remote offers easy programming

Eco Factor: Zero-emission car powered by electric motors. ZMP Inc has announced that the company will release its all-electric single seat robot car later this year. The RoboCar G is based on the EV platform developed by the Next-Gen EV Study Group at Gunma University. The car according to ZMP has been developed for research and development as a vehicle that is large enough for practical use. The computer-controlled vehicle features several sensors that include a laser range finder, a stereo camera, a GPS, an IMU, a milliwave radar and a sonar sensor. Sensors will also be mounted according to the need of the user and connected with one another via a network. The vehicle will be built to order and shipment is expected to begin in or after November 2010. Via: Dvice / Gizmowatch

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ZMP’s all-electric RoboCar G to be made available in November

Eco Factor: Energy-efficient development harvest energy and water. Italian design firm StudioDosi have unveiled their proposal for the 36 Calls Competition in Leeds, UK, The sustainable office building spans more about 2260 square meters with a 360 square meter public space suspended from above. The building explores innovative solutions in façade treatments making it technical and poetic at the same time. The unique building is covered with green see-through walls, leaving the ground level free for circulation. The office space provided by the building is suitable for either one company or different companies at each floor. To reduce the overall energy demands of the development, the designers have integrated roof-top solar panels to provide renewable electricity. The development also makes good use of natural ventilation and harvests rainwater for irrigation and other non-sanitary uses. Via: DesignBoom

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StudioDosi designs solar-powered office building for Leeds

Eco Factor: Sustainable retail center design features use of locally sourced materials. Studio Shift has unveiled the designs of their new retail center proposal for a riverside location in Miyi, where it capitalizes on the naturally cleansed waters of the South Lake area. The center comprises three buildings that are conceptually carved from one solid entity and reconnected through the public plaza. The buildings are designed sustainably by making the maximum possible use of locally sourced materials. An extensive climbing wall has also been designed that can be used both from the exterior and the interior. The interior is articulated as a glass-clad void inserted into the solid mass of the structure. The plaza has been oriented toward the south to maximize solar exposure. The center conserves energy by using natural sources for climate control and illumination. Via: ArchDaily

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Studio Shift’s retail center proposal capitalizes on naturally cleansed waters

Eco Factor: Energy-saving development planned for Newark. Brooklyn-based architecture firm Super Interesting! has won a competition to design a sustainable visitor center for Newark, New Jersey. Out of over 200 entries, Super Interesting!’s proposal “Engaging Ecology – Connecting Community” features a focus on the ties between the local environment and the surrounding community. The planned visitor center will include a tidal marsh and a bioremediation system that will be built from reclaimed materials. The proposed visitor center will allow visitors to connect with the river flowing out of the city. The tidal marsh also acts as a natural bioremediation and filtration system for the runoff from nearby streets and parking lots. Made from reclaimed materials like brick and wood, the visitor center would also make use of geothermal source radiant heat as well as solar thermal collectors. Cooling will be made energy-efficient by making good use of natural ventilation. Via: Inhabitat

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Super Interesting! designs sustainable visitor center for Newark

Eco Factor: East Bay’s largest taxi company adds 15 new gas-electric hybrid vehicles to fleet. Friendly Cab , the East Bay’s largest taxi transportation company has launched a new “Go Green, Ride Clean” campaign with the addition of 15 new gas-electric hybrid vehicles, which will help save about 1.3 million lbs of CO2 emissions annually. Oakland’s first for-hire hybrid fleet will be driven primarily in communities of Oakland impacted by pollution, and are purchased within the city, supporting the local economy, tax base, and creating “green jobs.” Each conversion from a traditional Ford Crown Victoria to a new Ford Escape Hybrid can offset around 90,000 lbs. of CO2 emissions a year. Other cities have implemented green taxi initiatives, with 17% of San Francisco taxis comprised of hybrids. Until Friendly Cab launched its “Go Green, Ride Clean” campaign with 15 hybrid purchases, Oakland has had no other environmentally-friendly taxi options, mainly because a hybrid vehicle costs three times the price of a regular taxicab. Via: SFGate

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Oakland’s Friendly Cab launches ‘Go Green, Ride Clean’ campaign