Eco Factor: Indoor hydroponic gardening system. Growing food for yourself assures you that there aren’t any harmful fertilizers being used, which not only harms the produce but also the environment. Moreover, with the rapid decrease in the land available for irrigation, indoor plantations and hydroponic plantation systems would definitely be common in the near future. Industrial designers Rafael Fernando daSilva and Débora Nogueira wanted to develop a plant system that would bring some nice time for the couple during cooking, with a healthy life concept behind. The designers’ vision led to the design of a DNA molecule-inspired hydroponic plant system which not only allows the homeowners to produce organic food for them, but also looks like a green sculpture. The product is made simple, two vertical metal tubes where the germinated seeds of the plants are placed into small holes around the tubes. A net holds them till they start to grow. There is also a light system, with a mobile light focus that can be programmed along the path where it moves, providing the right type and duration of light for certain plants. The hydroponic process is based on the NFT hydroponic system, an active process where a solution with nutrients is fed from a deposit to the culture channel. Part of the root of the plant gets a constant water flux, while the other part is in direct contact with humid air. Thanks: [ Rafael Fernando daSilva ]
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Eco Gadgets: DNA-inspired hydroponic plant system to grow organic food for yourself
Images from Inhabitot Happy birthday Inhabitots, and many more. It hardly seems possible that just one year ago we wrote about the birth of this design and baby oriented blog. It’s the progeny of the proud parent who started Inhabitat . We wondered whether they would be able to raise a new baby blog and a new baby at the same time. And they have done it, with great style and a few spots of baby food on their shirt. … Read the full story on TreeHugger
Eco Factor: Sustainable home made from recycled shipping containers. Homes made from shipping containers mostly retain their shipping container look, which most home builders don’t like. Maison Idekit Homes have done well is solving the riddle by building a beautiful home in Quebec that does have shipping container bones, but it’s hard to figure out, at least from the outside. The 3000 sq ft home boasts the use of seven shipping containers and costs $175,000. For those of you who don’t want to spend that much for a green dwelling, the company does offer a chalet built with just three shipping containers that runs for about $45,000 and can be customized to the home owner’s specs. The home is covered with urethane insulation and wooden cladding. While most walls are covered with some bright décor, some parts are left bare to remind the owners that they’re helping the environment by living inside a supertanker. Via: PSFK
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Eco Homes: Maison Idekit Homes build beautiful home from shipping containers
Walmart is inching closer to its goal of using 100 percent renewable energy with a new deal bringing rooftop solar power to five Puerto Rico stores — with the potential for 23 additional locations.
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Walmart Sees Sunny Forecast for Solar
A new Facebook application launched by the computer giant lets idling computers work on a range of health and environmental research projects, including the world’s largest climate forecasting project.
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Intel Puts Wasted PC Power to Work on Climate Fight
Eco Factor: NASA launches competition to design green aircraft that can achieve 100mph for 200 miles. The Global Green Challenge made universities all over the globe develop green vehicles, which they think can conquer the treacherous Australian outback. The competition seems to inspire NASA to launch a new competition , dubbed Green Flight Challenge, not to develop cars but to actually design green aircrafts that can achieve a speed of 100mph over a 200 mile flight. The requirements don’t seem to be too difficult until the next requirement that the competitors have to meet – 200 passenger miles per gallon of fuel. Of course the stakes are high as NASA and the Comparative Aircraft Efficiency Foundation have announced a $1.5 million for the first plane that achieves the requirements. The competition will run through 2011 and the results will be held at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rose. With many green planes already under development, we will keep you posted on the entrants and the possible winners. Via: Inhabitat
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Eco Tech: NASA announces $1.5 million Green Flight Challenge
At the first annual Wanderlust Festival this year in Tahoe, festival goers were there for the music and the meditation. So in the midst of this mix, we had to ask What are you doing to go green and why are you choosing this crazy, healthy lifestyle? The respon… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Treehugger Asks ‘Why Go Green’ At the 2009 Wanderlust Festival
Green is glorious. It’s even better when you can utilize “green” gadgets and your green thumb. Saving our environment is all-important. Geeks like gadgets, but sometimes we are also gardeners. It can be hard on the pocketbook or the brain when trying to mesh our cool hobbies and our eco-passion. Here are 20 wild and sometimes weird gadgets for the plant enthusiast. Electrolux Hydrosphere (image via: ecofriend ) The Electrolux Hydrosphere has a green design that is aesthetically pleasing. This hydrosphere is handy for people who would like to grow green vegetation but would have a hard time finding a place for their potted plants. Although it is not a requirement to live in the city or in an apartment to own one, this planter can allow you to add green to your living environment while also acting as an elegant “green” gadget and conversation starter. Bel-Air Domestic Spacecraft (image via: 3rings ) This air purifier makes your plants ‘more intelligent.’ The Bel-Air Domestic Spacecraft inhales polluted air and filters it through three natural filters (the plant leaves, its roots, and a humid bath) before releasing purified air back into your living space. This project was first researched by NASA for the efficiency of plants at absorbing and eliminating pollutants in aircraft. The domestic spacecraft runs off of AC power for the white LED lights, so you can have clean air anywhere you decide to put it. Solar Powered Plant Pot (image via: Firebox ) Nothing tells your plant “I love you” better than a solar-powered glowing plant pot. You set the solar panel to collect the best sunlight available to you. This will charge up the pot during the day so it will glow at night. Depending on how much sunlight you get, the plant pot will glow for 2 to 8 hours before the battery runs out. The Solar Powered Plant Pot comes in glowing white or color-changing pots. Pet Plant (image via: Cool Aggregator ) This Pet Plant gadget will show your plant’s emotions, such as whether it is too hot or needs water. The digital pot has sensors that process data about the soil and its surrounding environment, and then displays the information in digital pictograms. Your plant may be happy or may even scowl at you if it needs water. If you over-water your pet plant, this pot drains off the excess. Ponic-Home Hydroponic Planter (image via: Endrit Hajno ) No need to dirty your hands with soil if you use the Ponic-Home hydroponic planter. The technology behind this planter allows you to grow your plant in a nutrient-enriched water solution. You might need to do your research to better understand the correct balance of nutrients needed in the water, but your house won’t get dirty from messy soil. This could come in especially handy for plant lovers with dogs or cats that dig in the soil of your indoor potted plants. Teach Your Babies to Live Green (images via: Firebox , ecofriend ) If you are an environmentally-aware parent who would like to teach your kids to be like-minded, here are two fun solutions. Pictured on the left and below, the Flip Flop Q Minis may be artificial and high-tech but they are cute solar-powered gadgets for your young ones. No need for batteries, the more real or artificial light these toy-plants are exposed to, the more they will move and jiggle. They are 100% solar-powered and extremely portable play toys. Pictured on the right are Nyokki Pets egg-shaped planters. These adorable little planters come with rye grass that will grow to its full height in less than two weeks. You and your child can cut the grass and watch it grow again. Your child will learn to love plants as much as you do. Pekoppa Communication Plant (images via: Japan Trend Shop ) Pekoppa Communication Plant is made by Sega Toys to appeal to you as well as your children. The Pekoppa responds to your speech with physical reactions. By using the internal chip that detects patterns in human speech, the plant’s leaves and even stem will move. You can talk to your plant and your plant can talk back to you by deeply bowing to you as if in agreement. Perhaps not a yes-man, but a yes-plant! Not a people person? No problem with the Pekoppa. No Green Thumb? No Worries (images via: Coolest Gadgets, Cutie Gadget ) If you love plants, but they don’t always love you back, then these two gadgets may be for you. The Grobal Self-Watering Planters (left) are perfect for people who may not have the greenest of thumbs. You fill up the water chamber and it automatically adds water to the plant’s soil so you will never over-water or under-water your plant again. These pretty planters are available in lots of colors and have a clear plastic water level indicator so you will know when to refill the water. All you need is a plant because it comes with soil and nutrients. The USB Powered Mini Green House (right) is an eco-gadget for geeks who might like to have a plant nearby on their desk. You plug the USB into your computer and the USB power source controls the artificial light above the plant to help grow the plant in a scientific manner. It comes with soil and marigold seeds. It also comes with software to monitor the growth rate, a calendar, wallpaper and bookmark settings. Even with all the technology included with this gadget, you still need to remember to physically water your plant or it will die. Your software will remind you though when the plant is thirsty while your plant filters the CO2 around you. If you are tech savvy and love the environment too, then this little greenhouse may be for you. Flowerbox Art (images via: flowerbox ) These flowerboxes are not so much a gadget as environmentally friendly. They are made from cardboard boxes and come in a variety of colors. They come with holes in the back so you can hang your flowers on the wall with ease. Your flower or plant fits inside a white metal cup that is designed specifically for these boxes. You can add a splash of color, flowering plants or green foliage, to decorate your wall as well as start a conversation when your guests spy your eco-friendly flowerbox. Living Kitchen (images via: ecofriend ) The Studio Gorm living kitchen will help you nourish your plants with kitchen waste. This living kitchen is an example of nature and technology meeting in harmony. It provides a space to prepare your food as well as planter boxes to grow plants. The counter top has a waste bowl where you store your food scraps. Once that bowl is full, you pour the waste into the worm bin composter located underneath the counter top. The composter is full of worms that will convert the waste into nutrient rich fertilizer that can then be put back into the plants. It’s a good eco-friendly idea, if you can get past the thought of food, plants, and worms all located in your kitchen workspace. Sound Garden (images via: trend ) Do you have an affinity for jamming and growing plants? JVC presents Sound Garden ‘Kirikabu’ Speakers. The speakers look like bonsai planters from the future. You can grow a plant but enjoy the thumping woofers too. When you water your plants, the speakers will generate their own electricity. Let’s hope you generate plenty of green otherwise because these cost a pretty penny. If you have plenty of cash, then you can combine your choice of potted plants with multi-directional speakers that include a woofer, left- and right-channel stereo speakers and are powered by an internal amplifier. Tiny Hypdroponic Reactor (images via: 7gadgets ) Thanks to NASA technology, no soil is needed to grow your plants or herbs in any or all seasons. This hydrophonic grow system allows you to have a minimal mess on your desk or wherever you feel like you want to add a little greenery. People have grown herbs, flowers, and some vegetables in this “tiny hypdroponic reactor.” Within this gadget comes a special soil-free spongy grow-medium and nutrient mixture, so all you need to add are the seeds. Seedbomb Plant Capsule (images via: envirogadget ) Are you concerned over deforestation in our environment? As long you don’t mind using a biodegradable plastic pod, you can easily help to replant an area and to rebuild an ecosystem. The plastic pod acts like a mini-greenhouse to protect seeds and seedlings before exposing them to cold or harsh weather. This gadget contains some soil and nutrients to encourage seeds to germinate and to grow rapidly. Bombs away! A Growing Book (images via: iDasia ) If you enjoy reading and growing plants, then this Growing Book might be for you. The idea behind this unique planter is to make the process of reading a book more interactive. The book comes with a special place to grow plants in it. You can be a “green” reader or entertain your kids by raising their environmental awareness as they watch the process of life taking place in front of their eyes. EasyBloom (images via: Mom’s Buzz ) By using the EasyBloom Plant Sensor gadget, you can grow plants without the guesswork. The in-ground sensor takes advantage of the same technology that NASA uses on the Mars Phoenix mission to measure the Martian soil. The sensors read and analyze growing conditions in the spots where you “plant” it. Readings include sunlight, temperature, humidity, soil moisture and drainage to help take the guesswork out of where would be the best place to plant in your yard and what would be the best choices of plants. You leave it “planted” for a minimum of 24 hours before plugging it into your computer USB port and watching the recommendations such as what plants would flourish in what location in your environment. Loop Greenhouse Watersaving Gadget (images via: ecofriend ) This is for the person with a serious green thumb who also loves gadgets. You also need a greenhouse. Growing plants in a greenhouse is truly manipulating the environment. The Loop cuts down on humidity and acts as a water-saving device. The water vapor is condensed back into liquid and can then be reapplied to the soil for the plants to reuse. LED Grow Light (images via: chinavasion ) Indoor gardeners may prefer this LED Grow Light gadget. The LED lights produce red and blue colors which are the most important visible light frequencies for indoor plants. This LED light maximizes plant growth while minimizing energy consumption by producing only the light that enhances the natural process of photosynthesis. Indoor gardeners will enjoy fast growth and strong crops. Soil Lamp (images via: Marieke Staps ) So you don’t have a green thumb at all but still like gadgets as well as saving the environment? Here is a lamp that runs on mud. This light is powered by soil that is enclosed in various cells. The more cells there are, the more electricity they make. Like growing a plant, however, you need to add water to the soil, to make mud, to keep this soil lamp burning bright.
Photo by Burb.tv Designer Neville Mars has created a charging station that keeps your car both cool and charged. Called the Solar Forest , the panels actually follow the sun throughout the day for maximum efficiency. And that canopy provides some much needed shade for the cars below, hopefully while keeping the overlap to a minimum…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Solar Forest Keeps Cars Cool And Juiced
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed a proposed label that be used to identify products made with renewable plant, animal, marine or forestry materials. The proposal is an outgrowth of the government’s BioPreferred purchasing program.
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USDA Proposes Label for Bio-based Products