This first product is a brilliant use of green technology. Simply turning a crank provides this LED light with power.

While we can’t expect everyone to turn a crank every time they want to turn on a light, this is an interesting solution to provide power to 3rd world countries with no electrical grid.

And hey, you can always keep one handy for emergencies.

via INDEX Awards

Continue: Number 9: Dongtan Eco-City >>

Popularity: 11% [?]

This is the first is a series of posts looking at some of the nominees for the INDEX awards (International Design Exhibition), awarding innovative design.

Many products featured at this year’s INDEX awards focused on solving global issues, environmentalism was not left out. Many products focused on green technology and recycled materials.

It was quite a day, but we got through all 10 products, with only some minor wordpress problems. Here we go, start off with number 10:

Continue: Number 10: Human Powered LED Lamp >>

….or, if you’re the impatient type, you can view the whole list..

Popularity: 11% [?]

This is an interesting take on generating personal green power.

A bunch of tiny ind turbines are attached to the roof of a house. Vibration and noise are minimized, and you have a small power-plant generating green electricity for you home!

It looks a bit strange in the picture, and the company claims these wind turbines are design to operate “in plain site as an attractive complement to the building’s architecture”. I think I’d prefer a nice out-of-the-way solar system, but these are still a great way to generate some green electricity for your house and save on your bills.

AV developed a small, modular wind turbine system designed for installation on buildings in urban and suburban areas. By eliminating the support tower, reducing noise and vibration, and creating a sleek and adaptable, modular housing that installs quickly and easily onto buildings, without penetrating the roof, AV defines a new category of wind energy systems that adds value to buildings and demonstrates clean energy at work.

via AeroVironment

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How cool is this, a completely battery powered jet-ski.

It’s from Icon and sells for $499, but if you’re looking for an eco-friendly way to enjoy nature, jet-skiing has just made the list!

The electric jet ski comes with a pre-mounted 36 volt battery that can be recharged via AC power. It also has a pretty decent 600 watt motor, and can carry a driver of up to 150lbs.

via Keetsa! Blog

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Treehugger posted a list of 5 innovative bike storage options, it’s a great read!

I personally like the Cyclepod (pictured left), not only because it looks really 22nd century, but I could actually see these placed around cities to promote bike use. Much better solution when compared to the random poles sticking out everywhere, although I’ve gotta say I’m thankful for those sometimes too!

Another great idea what the Bike Tree. This is another solution for public parking of bikes. You’d swipe an access card, and attach your bike to the tree. It then lift’s it up into the air and under a protected shelter. This helps to keep your bike safe from the weather and from thieves. Quite a brilliant solution!

via TreeHugger 

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This is an interesting product which uses only oxygen to clean a pool, no chlorine.

If I had a pool this would certainly be in it!

If you’re sick of gulping chlorine, and lying red-eyed in a deck chair after swimming in your chlorine-treated swimming pool, there is an alternative. EcoSmarte pool cleaning systems offers an alternative to chlorine, and salt water pools. Their natural oxygen technology is 100% chlorine-free. The system manages and removes minerals without the use of salt or brine discharge, and is reputed to be easy to use, safer, and more effective than either traditional methods or a salt water pool.

via The Alternative Consumer

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How cool is this, a fully-functioning LCD monitor completely made out of bamboo!

Okay, it’s not 100% bamboo, but the casing is made from 100% panda-friendly bamboo. This makes it a lot more eco-friendly, and a perfect example of green technology. These monitors are also lead-free.

They come in 15, 17, and 19 inch varieties, and sell from about $380 for 15inch to $570 for 19inch.

For an eco-friendly additon for your home or office computer, look no further than these bamboo monitors.

Combining modern technology with sustainability, these monitors incorporate the latest techy stuff with bamboo for the surround instead of nasty plastic – making it much more eco friendly.

You can get it from Nigel’s Eco Store

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Ah, the sun.

Back when I was a kid a sunny day meant playing in the sprinkler or selling lemonade, but powering my toys? That was something unheard of!

Solar power has been growing in the past couple years and now it’s made a jump to the toy market. These toys use the sun’s energy instead of batteries, so no more running out of juice or charging batteries for hours!

Well we’ve all seen hydrogen-fuel-cell racing cars, and now there are solar-powered toys as well!

Read the rest of this entry »

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Green technology still hasn’t become mainstream in the corporate world. It’s still pretty common to see computers left on all night, lights left on all night, and lots of paper wasted

Google has stepped up to take the green challenge, and are building the largest solar panel installation to date right on their own buildings! The goal is 9,212 solar panels putting out 1,600 kilowatts.

It’s great to see a company that has realized the benefits of green energy, not only will they be helping the environment, but they will be seeing huge savings in electricity bills as well. They can even leave all their computers on at night, as long as the power is sustainable.

Good job Google! Don’t be evil.

In October 2006, Google announced a commitment to solar energy production and launched the largest solar panel installation to date on a corporate campus in the United States. Google has installed over 90% of the 9,212 solar panels that comprise the 1,600 kilowatt project. Panels cover the rooftops of eight buildings and two newly constructed solar carports at the Googleplex.

This installation is projected to produce enough electricity for approximately 1,000 California homes or 30% of Google’s peak electricity demand in our solar powered buildings at our Mountain View, CA headquarters.

We built this page to monitor and share the day to day production of clean, renewable energy from our very own rooftops. Keep checking in to see how we’re doing. We think the future looks bright!

via Ramsayhome

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In a new form of protest, blog action day will rally the blogging the community on October 15th with one goal: to bring awareness to the growing environmental crisis.

As it is now there are just under 2,500 blogs participating, generating a reach of almost 3 million. Every blog that has committed to participate will post on an environmental issue on that day. Sites are encouraged to donate that day’s earnings to a charity as well.

Ecogadget will be participating and will be donating that days earnings to charity. We don’t have a charity picked yet, but we’ll let you know before the actual event.

We’ll be posting about environmental issues all day, and we’ll be tracking what other blogs are posting about. It’s going to be an eco-posting-stravaganza!

If you have a blog I encourage you to join in, you don’t have to donate anything if you don’t want, just post on an environmental issue on Oct.15th, and register your blog at the Blog Action Day Website.

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