With so much talk at the CES 2011 being around connected cars it is perhaps fitting that this year we are seeing the first ever new model launched here by one of the big car makers. The maker in question is Ford and the model is the Focus Electric. The company CEO Alan Mulally states that Ford’s very first electric car with no harmful emissions will give a better mileage and a quicker charging time than the other electric cars on the market. He stated that Ford are aware that “many customers are excited to drive an electric vehicle”. The...
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A report just released has shown the attendees here at the CES 2011 that the consumer electronics industry is making huge progress in its attempts to be become more environmentally friendly. The report by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) goes by the name of the CEA 2010 Sustainability Report. It is an industry update which first came out in 2008 and which lets us know what is being done to make the manufacturing and distribution of our gadgets greener. These are a few of the key points: The electronics industry has a system...
Mecca Bingo is one leopard that can change its spots as this month they are switching from pink to green with a brand new energy saving drive with free gadgets for their members. The company has always done its upmost to support its members and various Government initiatives and is giving away Water Widgets and Lime Energy Saving Plug free. The manufacturers of these gadgets say that they can save users up to £100 a year on utility bills. Mecca bingo customers can visit the company’s website to register their details to receive the...
The ongoing battle to persuade individuals to use less water and to look after the environment in which they live is a seemingly uphill one but fortunately there are some innovative, and often a little bit imblanaced, designers out there that take the fight to them. Yan Lu is one such designer (innovative, that is, not necessarily mentally imbalanced) and his latest innovation is the Poor Little Fishbowl Sink which persuades people to think about how much water they’re using by basically threatening to drown a goldfish in air. A...
When it comes to hatchbacks and energy conservation, Lexus may not be the first name that you think of and when you hear the news that the new CT 200h from Lexus is the first small luxury car to drop below the 100g/km of CO2 emissions. For those interested in buying one, it’s also worth noting that the CT 200h doesn’t compromise in terms of either quality or performance in order to gain these impressive figures. In fact, it is seemingly designed for comfort first and reduced carbon emissions second. It uses the latest generation...
When it comes to emerging science and technology, renewable energy is right up there as one of the most widely researched and often most impressive areas. Solar energy is considered the most viable form of renewable energy because of how abundant it is in our atmosphere but solar cells are far from cheap and they don’t have the longest life that one would hope for when fitting them to the home or anywhere else. Sunlight and oxygen is a damaging combination, unfortunately, and as well as being the reason that paper discolours when...
In the same way that there’s an app for just about everything, you’re pretty much assured to find a green gadget for any purpose. There are green speakers that double up as miniature plant pots, there are houses made from recycled beer and plastic pop bottles. There are even rocking chairs that generate power as you rock back and forth. If that’s not enough for you, and you won’t to wear your ecologically friendly lifestyle as a badge then you could always have a dress made from expired (not used or recycled we...
It’s not made of recycled toilet paper and it doesn’t draw energy directly from the heart of the sun, but the fact that it is made from recycled plastic and Sony Ericsson couldn’t be bothered including a manual means that the virtually unheard of Sony Ericsson Elm has been awarded the prestigious (in some peoples’ eyes we’re sure it’s loaded with prestige) title of being O2’s greenest handset. To be fair, Sony Ericsson did also go to the trouble of stamping their GreenHeart branding on the allegedly...
According to the environmentally aware among us, we need to do more to protect future generations from the ravages of global warming. There’s green this and green that, and just about any item can be bought in its more standard variety and an ecologically sound version. One of the more morbidly amusing green items we’ve managed to find is the ecopod which is a green coffin both in terms of its colour and its biodegradability. Rather than looking at fine mahogany caskets, interested parties will be considering their greenfield...
OK, so we’re the first to sit and wonder why the world of renewable energy hasn’t come on in leaps and bounds. The truth of the matter is turning ideas into money are more difficult when creating stuff like solar panels and wind turbines than creating the latest killer touch screen tablet. However, you can generally rely on the Norwegians to improve matters for the rest of the world in this respect – they are the front runners in everything from solar power to poo power. EnSol is one of the companies that helps them retain...