Eco Powered Gyms
August 31, 2008
Human powered energy is the new hot topic in Gyms these days, and gyms that get at least part of their power from exercise machines is all the rage.
Credit Human Dynamo for at least some of the buzz. The company is releasing their prototypes in gyms across the country in March 2009. Retailing for around $1500, the machines are kind of a cross between a climbing machine and a bicycle and the energy generated from working out on them can be used to help supply electricity to the gym itself. Green Gyms like this one in Portland plan to use human power to supplement their other green energy sources like solar, and by using more efficient machines like this EcoPower treadmill, which uses 30% less electricity than a standard model.
Thinking about doing something at home? There are several DIY guides to generating power from stationary bikes to power laptops etc. Makes sense doesn’t it?
How green is your business?
August 27, 2008
The Infor Green Assessment consists of two company-profile questions and 20 easy-to-answer questions distributed within four quadrants:
- Global Asset Sustainability
- Supply Chain
- Product/Service Development
- Organizational Readiness
Find out how your business ranks.
Take back the filter!
August 26, 2008
While making the change to filtered water instead of plastic bottles has it’s merit we are now confronted with a new thing to dispose of. Namely the filter cartridges. In Europe yu can find drop centers that accept filters for re-cycling, but not so here in the states where Clorox (Brita is owned by Clorox in North America) has no plans for recycling.
What to do? Sign the petition to ask Clorox to start a recycling program. Better yet, write them a letter too. The more of us who ask, the more likely we are to feel better about using their product.
How green is that shiny new refrigerator?
August 15, 2008
Consumer reports takes a look at a number of refrigerators and rates them for you. They also show how the current regulations to measure capacity may not be up to snuff. According to Consumer reports, manufacturers calculate volume by measuring the height, length, and width of every part of a refrigerator box and totaling the results. Makers include the space occupied by shelves, hardware, and the indentation where you fill a glass with water and/or ice.
August 14, 2008
Big box retailer Ikea may start offering solar panels with your easy to assemble furniture.
Ikea recently announced plans to invest $77 million into its GreenTech energy fund with the goal of eventually producing solar panels, efficiency meters, and energy efficient lighting. They will be investing in start-ups in the green space to bring these new products to market as quickly as possible. Read the full story at Inhabitat.
Green plugs to the rescue
August 12, 2008
That AC adapter hanging off most of your electric toys could be sucking your wallet dry. Never fear though, Green Plug, if the company gets it’s way, is going to change all that.
The good news- GreenPlug power systems stop charging products when the batteries in their associated products reach full charge and includes a glowing status indicator like those in Apple’s laptops. The solution relies on a chip and firmware called GreenTalk embedded into the device that communicates with the power supply.
The bad news -For most electronics manufacturers is the cost of adding a new chip to their products can be prohibitively expensive.
The good news. Green Plug gets that if they want to succeed they’ll have to make some happy converts (pardon the pun) fast, so they are offering electronics component manufacturers chips to get started with. See a demo and learn more at demo.com
Is spending big bucks for a water bottle the next green trend?
August 12, 2008
Of course by now everybody knows that drinking water from Bisphenol-A containing plastic is bad and we are looking for alternatives. There’s no question that we should all be looking for better solutions to the habit of carrying water, and several companies have responded. We did a quick survey of our contacts to see what they were doing.
Some use aluminum , many rely on their trusty Nalgene (Now BPA free),recycled glass bottles or the Camelback and all have their virtues. But where’s the marketing sex appeal?
it’s right here. Designed by design firm RKS Design, KOR ONE hydration vessels will be on sale at their website shortly.
What interested me about this particular company is how well they have marketed the product. It’s on blogs everywhere, links are popping up in Twitter touting the design, the KOR Stone (TM) (A disc shaped slip of paper that inserts into the lid with a mantra printed on it to inspire you each time you open the lid.) People relate the design to Apple. I certainly think they’ve modeled their marketing after Apple’s as well. The bottles aren’t even on the market yet, but here we are, wishing we had one!
Like SIGG, KOR donates 1% of sales to non-profits focusing on water related issues, and the company mission states “we need to be sustainable, ethical and transparent throughout all our business practices”.
Good for them.
Greenhouse gas emissions and data collection
August 11, 2008
The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is an independent not-for-profit organization which seeks information on the business risks and opportunities presented by climate change and greenhouse gas emissions data from the world’s largest companies:
The CDP teamed up with the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHGMI) to offer a wealth of information to help corporations and also local cities gather accurate date on greenhouse gas emissions for reporting purposes. They have over 3,000 voluntary corporate entries in their databases already.
Get more information or download reports from their website.
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