Contemporary Energy’s Solar Kettle uses the sun’s rays to boil water on the go. The lightweight thermos-like device is perfect for camping or picnics, allowing users to make hot beverages or sterilize water without electricity. Using fold out reflectors, it channels solar power to the container, boiling the water inside.
Japanese artist and landscape designer Mineo Mizuno grows moss on large ceramic pebble-like spheres, creating beautiful sculptures that forge a symbiotic relationship between materials. Inspired by his native Japan, the Brooklyn-based artist designs miniature landscapes, complete with highlands and valleys, grass and forests. The pieces are part of a series called “Coexistence.”
A brand new car that gets 84 MPG and costs less than $7,000 sounds too good to be true, but Elio Motors just unveiled a new three-wheeled vehicle that hits all those marks. The affordable two-seater Elio gets amazing mileage, and it’s small enough for a congested urban environment.
Looking for something fun to do this summer in NYC? How about a free ferry ride that also supports a neighborhood that was knocked off its feet after Hurricane Sandy? Mayor Bloomberg joined other city officials this week to announce the launch of a free Red Hook Summer Ferry that will operate on weekends throughout the summer season. The newly expanded service spells good news for Red Hook businesses hoping to see an increase in foot traffic, and it provides a way for them to continue recovering after last October’s superstorm. The ferry will kick off Memorial Day weekend at Pier 11 in Manhattan and will give people another reason (besides just going to IKEA) to visit Red Hook.
Photo from Shutterstock
Throw your suit in a messenger bag and strap on your helmet because today is Bike to Work Day! Thousands of New Yorkers will be trading in their car, bus or subway commutes for a zero-energy alternative that is also a blast – and it’s not too late to join in on the fun! Bikers still have until 10 am to take advantage of one of several fueling stations greeting bicyclists this morning. So pick up a coffee, a coconut water or a snack and ride into the sunset (or into the office, since they’re probably expecting you). Click through to find out where you can score a bit of grub and reflective decals on your way to work (and perhaps even get an invite to a super cool after-work bike party).
Beijing-based Decode Urbanism Office has designed a conceptual skyscraper with a façade composed of thousands of small wind turbines that would be able to produce enough energy to power the entire building. At night, the diamond-shaped generators are lit with thousands of tiny LED lights incorporated into the building envelope.
An incredible new printer at the University of Melbourne has allowed researchers to print solar cells up to the size of an A3 sheet of paper. Developed in collaboration between the Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium (VICOSC), CSIRO, and the University of Melbourne, the solar cell printer makes renewable energy even easier to source.
As if having the tallest and most expensive skyscraper in the world wasn’t enough, Dubai has shown its decadence once again by building an ice lounge right in the middle of the desert. The Chillout Café looks as if it were lifted right out of Sweden or Quebec, with couches, chandeliers, and even glasses made from ice. The carved-ice café hits about 21 degrees Fahrenheit, and it offers designer winter gear for its patrons to keep warm while the city blazes at 95° F outside.
Flat-pack goods typically make more efficient use of materials and have lower shipping costs, and in recent years companies have designed everything from flat-pack beds and dressers to flat-pack lamps and even houses. Now, British philanthropist Sir Torquil Norman’s Global Vehicle Trust has developed the OX, the world’s first flat-pack truck. The inexpensive vehicle, which is intended for use in developing countries, can reportedly be assembled in just 12 hours by three people using basic tools, and it can be taken apart again in less than six hours.
MOKO Architects just unveiled plans for a diving and skydiving center constructed out of two abandoned silos and a series of staggered shipping containers. The ten story multi-purpose recreation center will be built out of existing silos located in the Żerań industrial area just 12 km outside of Warsaw’s nucleus.
Aura is a concept for a portable and environmentally friendly steam cooker utilizing zeolite minerals. Zeolite minerals, upon being heated, release large amounts of steam from water that had been previously adsorbed. When zeolite comes into contact with water, a chemical reaction adsorbs the water and emits heat. When heat is applied to the zeolite, the process is reversed and the water is released. Because the heat is trapped in the chemical structure of the zeolite, the material never actually feels warm. It is which is why this is a “loss-free” storage method. By using zeolites the designers of Aura aim to eliminate pollution caused by using coal or wood in picnic areas and promote healthy eating. Zeolite minerals can be charged while something is being baked in the oven without any extra energy used. Aura’s comes with a base made of basalt stone, a grill to put the food on and a bell jar shaped lid to provide steam circulation.
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Dutch designer Willem Heeffer used 334 recycled cans to create a series of luminous upcycled chandeliers and furnishings for Top Chef Hans Välimäki’s new Midhill American diner in Helsinki, Finland. Heeffer collected the tins from local restaurants, cleaned them, and then transformed them into fork and knife holders, bar lights, a floor-to-ceiling storage display and three chandeliers. The chandeliers are made from 21 Heinz Beanz classic cans each. The lamps fit perfectly into the interior designed by Martina Rosenqvist and Vera Öller, who used old corrugated roof panels to clad the bars. The single Heinz Beanz can that started it all is for sale at Willem Heeffer‘s website.
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As if worrying about rising sea levels isn’t enough, the evils of climate change are also affecting our food supply. A mix of increased temperatures, changes in rain, and bacterial and fungi outbreaks have hit American farmers hard, causing harvests to fall behind schedule or find complete ruin. With dramatic shifts in weather becoming increasingly common, a number of foods we’re used to eating could be in danger of extinction.
