This morning the Solar Impulse airplane embarked upon the next leg of its sun-powered journey across the United States. The solar-powered giant has already traveled from the San Francisco Bay Area to Arizona, and at 5am it took off from Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport en route to Dallas. The record-breaking flight marks a pivotal point in the team’s attempt to be the first to fly across the the country without using a single drop of fuel.

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Post tags: Andre Borscberg, Andre Borscberg Solar Impulse, bertrand piccard, Bertrand Piccard Solar Impulse, energy efficient plane, fuel-free plane, lightweight airplane, renewable energy sources, solar impulse, Solar Impulse Cross America 2013, solar panels, Solar Power, solar powered aircraft, solar powered plane

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Post tags: "natural materials", 11 eco-tastic gifts for mother's day, Airplane Wrap, Buddha Belly Tea Kettle, Chrysocolla Cocktail "Hug" Ring, Diamond Hobo Bag, eco jewelry, eco-gifts, fair trade gifts, Forest Pool Necklace, green gift guide, green gifts, green holidays, green office, Indigenous, lotions, mother's day, novica, Orchid-infused lotion, Organic Aromatherapy Body Soap, organic ingredients, organic lotions, Organic soap, Piper Tate, recycled gifts, Recycled Glass Balloon Vase, Recycled Materials, Redwood Forest bonsai kit, south america, Succulent Wall Planter Kit, sustainable gifts, Trinity Wooden Cuff, upcycled gifts, VivaTerra

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Post tags: "sustainable energy", alternative energy, Andre Borschberg, bertrand piccard, California, fuel-free airplane, green transportation, HB-SIA, moffett air filed, mountain view, NASA Ames Research Center, photovoltaic panels, renewable energy, solar impulse, solar impulse across america, Solar Power, solar powered airplane, sun-powered plane, world's first solar plane

Solar Flight has just unveiled the world’s fastest two-seater solar-powered plane at the AERO Global Show for General Aviation in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The Sunseeker Duo continues the company’s exploration of solar-powered flight which started with their first Sunseeker I model designed back in 1990. The new fuel-free plane features solar cells 50 percent more powerful than those used by the previous models; this allows the plane to climb for up to 25 minutes running solely on batteries. After leaving Germany, the team led by Eric and Irena Raymond will transport the Sunseeker Duo to Italy for further test flights.

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Post tags: AERO Global Show for General Aviation, energy efficient airplane, fuel-free airplane, green transportation, photovoltaics, solar aircraft, Solar cells, solar flight, Solar Flight Inc, Solar Power, solar powered plane, Sunseeker Duo, sunseeker plane

The Solar Impulse just completed its final test flight before it travels across the U.S. without using a single drop of fuel. The plane spent most of yesterday cruising around 3,500 feet over the San Francisco Bay, giving many people a chance to see the giant solar aircraft in action. The “Cross America 2013” tour is scheduled to kick off next Wednesday, May 1st, when Solar Impulse co-founder and pilot Bertrand Piccard embarks upon the first leg of the journey from San Francisco to New York.

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Post tags: "solar energy", bertrand piccard, energy efficient plane, fuel-free airplane, lightweight airplane, renewable energy sources, solar impulse, Solar Impulse Cross America 2013, Solar Impulse HB-SIA, solar panels, solar powered aircraft, solar powered plane

Photo by Conservation Drones

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Post tags: conservation, conservation-focused drones, drone technology, drones, Environment, environmental monitoring, green design, green technology, sustainable technology, Wildlife conservation

SolarWorld and PC-Aero just announced plans to launch two new solar-powered electric aircraft at the AERO Global Show for General Aviation in Friedrichshafen, Germany this month. The show, scheduled to begin tomorrow, will feature the SolarWorld eOne prototype aircraft and an improved Elektra One Solar.

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Post tags: AERO Global Show for General Aviation, electric aircraft, electric plane, Elektra One Solar, elektra one solar plane, ILA Berlin Air Show, lithium ion battery, PC Aero, solar powered aircraft, solar powered plane, SolarWorld, SolarWorld eOne

Read the rest of Luminair’s Spherical Tree Tents Let You Camp High Up in the Branches

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Post tags: alternative camping, camping, eco-tourism, eco-travel, elevated tents, forest camping, hanging tent, luminair, suspended tend, tree houses, tree tents, Treehouses

As electric vehicles claim an increasing share of the road, their counterparts in the air are just starting to take off. On March 28, the SportStar EPOS two-seater electric plane made its first 30-minute flight. Czech company Evektor-Aerotechnik designed the aircraft with a single 50-kW Rotex electric motor and a trapezoidal wing span of 10.46 meters. Powered by a 40-Ah battery from Kokam, the SportsStar EPOS can reach up to 260km/h with a cruising speed of 150km/hr.

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Post tags: aero friedrichshafen, czech, electric airplane, electric vehicle, evektor-aerotechnik, germany, kokam, lithium polymer cells, rotex electric, sportstar epos, vzlu pragu

The world’s first solar-powered helicopter just took off on its first test flight! Called SolarCopter, the model-sized aircraft was developed by a team of students at Queen Mary College in the UK. It’s propelled into the air using energy harnessed from the sun, instead of a fuel engine. The remote-controlled helicopter may be small, but the technology behind it serves as inspiration for larger-scale projects down the line.

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Post tags: eco design, green design, Queen mary College, solar powered airplane, solar powered helicopter, SolarCopter, sustainable design

Read the rest of Solar Impulse Airplane to Launch First Sun-Powered Flight Across America!

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Post tags: "sustainable energy", alternative energy, Andre Borschberg, bertrand piccard, California, fuel-free airplane, green transportation, HB-SIA, moffett air filed, mountain view, NASA Ames Research Center, photovoltaic panels, renewable energy, solar impulse, solar impulse across america, Solar Power, solar powered airplane, sun-powered plane, world's first solar plane

The world’s first electric tilt-rotor aircraft has been unveiled by Anglo-Italian helicopter company AgustaWestland. The prototype—called Project Zero—features advanced tilt rotor technology that allows it to hover like a helicopter and perform forward flight like an airplane. Two integrated rotors are horizontal during vertical lift and can be rotated 90 degrees during cruise flight.

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Post tags: AgustaWestland, AgustaWestland tilt rotor aircraft, aircraft design, AW609 aircraft, battery powered aircraft, electric tilt rotor aircraft, green technology, helicopter company, helicopter design, Project Zero aircraft, V-22 Osprey

Australian pilot Jeremy Rowsell is set to break new boundaries for alternative energy by flying from Australia to Britain in an airplane powered entirely by plastic waste. Rowsell’s “Wings of Waste” Cessna plane will fly from Sydney to London via Asia, the Middle East, and Europe using fuel refined from “end-of-life” materials such as plastic bags and other refuse that would otherwise wind up in landfills.

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Post tags: aviation fuel, Cessna, hydrocarbons, jeremy rowsell, landfill, pacific garbage patch, plastic bags, plastic recycling, pyrolysis, solar impulse

When we consider the field of engineering, the images that come to mind run the gamut from airplanes to bridges to 3D printers. Yet we rarely think about how the processed food we consume has been designed with the same amount of attention and detail as any piece of cutting edge technology. New York Times reporter and author Michael Moss has written a book called Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us detailing how industry titans have affected the collective American waistline. Linking their conscious development of addicting junk food to disease, he delves into how our eating habits are affected by big business and their role in the obesity epidemic.

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Post tags: addictive, american, diabetes, diet, food industry, gout, junk food, michael moss, new york times magazine, obesity, salt sugar fat: how the food giants hooked us, US

Green designer Max McMurdo has once again put his skills into action to create a fresh new version of his famous ‘Deborah’ airplane wing desk. Named after Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden, this classic desk is made from real airplane wings which have been transformed by Max’s Bedfordshire-based company, Reestore Ltd.

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Read the rest of The Sky’s the Limit for Max McMurdo’s New Recycled Airplane Wing Desk

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Post tags: "green furniture", "sustainable furniture", aeroplane wing desk, deborah airplane wing desk, green design, green interiors, green products, Max McMurdo, recycled airplane wing, Recycled Materials, Reestore, sustainable design, Sustainable Interiors

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: Architect David Hertz Talks to Us About How To Build With Old Planes

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", 747, 747 house, adaptive reuse, David Hertz, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green renovation, hertz architects, inhabitat interview, interview, plane, Recycled Materials, recycling, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, up-cycling, upcycling

Read the rest of Smart Collaborates with Designer Jeremy Scott to Fashionize the Electric Car

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Post tags: "design collaboration", car manufacturer, electric car, electric motor, fashion collaboration, fashion designer, Fuel Efficient, inhabitat, Jeremy Scott, Katy Perry and Rihanna, Lady Gaga, lithium ion battery, Los Angeles, madonna, new york city, new york fashion week, New York., ny fashion week, NYFW, smart car, Smart forjeremy, Smart ForTwo, sustainable design, sustainable driving, zero-emissions

Scientists at Newcastle University have discovered a way of capturing carbon dioxide inspired by the technique sea urchins use to grow their shell. The creatures absorb carbon dioxide and combine it with the high concentrations of nickel in their exoskeletons to create calcium carbonate. The research reveals a potential model for an an alternative, more effective carbon capture and storage system than currently used methods.

Read the rest of Sea Urchins’ Nickel Nanoparticles Could Hold the Key to Carbon Capture

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Post tags: biomimicry, carbon capture and storage systems, carbon emissions, carbon into chalk, environmental destruction, green research, green technology, nanotechnology, Newcastle University study, nickel nano-particles, scientific studies, sea urchin carbon capture

Read the rest of Our Favorite Sustainable Home Furnishings at the 2013 Las Vegas Market!

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Post tags: "sustainable furniture", adesso, bamboo furniture, bio-blaze, biofuel fire, eco furnishings, eco home, green design, green furnishings, green home, green interiors, greenington, groovystuff, las vegas design center, las vegas market, legare, oil drum, palecek, pangaea collection, phillips collection, recycled furniture, recycled oil drum, sustianble furnishing, world market center

Researchers at the German Aerospace Center are developing a hypersonic “SpaceLiner” that would zip half way around the world in 90 minutes flat. The 50-passenger airplane would piggyback off of a rocket to reach speeds of about 24 times the speed of sound. The super-fast SpaceLiner is hoped to propel passengers into the future by 2050, and it would be partially powered on liquid oxygen and hydrogen, leaving only a trail of water vapor and hydrogen in the atmosphere.


Read the rest of SpaceLiner Will Zoom from Europe to Australia in 90 Minutes Flat

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Post tags: commercial space shuttle, eco design, German Aerospace Center, green design, hypersonic airplane, SpaceLiner, sustainable design