eco-friendly
Latest
Skullcandy’s new wireless earbuds are made primarily out of recycled plastics
Skullcandy just unveiled its new EcoBuds True Wireless earbuds, which are made with 65 percent recycled plastics. The earbuds cost $40 and can reverse charge from a smartphone.
Eco-friendly HP laser printer line promises to reduce energy use by 30 percent
HP has just announced a number of new laser printers that all use the company’s proprietary TerraJet toner to reduce energy consumption by nearly 30 percent. Additionally, these printers ship with a drastic reduction of plastic packaging components. These new LaserJet series printers are available in consumer and enterprise models.
Amazon's new eco-friendly boxes can be turned into forts and 'cat condos'
An Amazon delivery might not be that exciting for you, but your cat is probably thrilled to be getting a new cardboard home. Amazon has made that sentiment official with new eco-friendly boxes that can be recycled into cat condos, forts and even a putt-putt golf windmill.
Could you live with this budget Android for four years?
Five years ago, Sharad Mittal had a dilemma. He and his wife had just watched Noah, a movie starring Russell Crowe with a heavy environmental message underneath its retelling of the classic Biblical tale. The movie moved him deeply, giving him a new perspective of the world that he says literally changed his life. "I became a hardcore environmentalist that day," he told Engadget.
Smart garbage disposal composts your food scraps instead of grinding them up
Composting is a fantastic way that regular folks can help both combat climate change and reduce the pressure on local landfills, but the practice is fraught with having to wrangle slimy, smelly, and easily spillable food scraps. But with the Sepura mounted under your kitchen sink, all you have to do is scrape your plate.
Kanye West's sustainable Yeezy concept uses algae foam
The next sneaker in Kanye West's Yeezy line could be made from algae foam. West offered a glimpse of the shoe at Fast Company's Innovation Festival today. He also shared that Yeezy is planning to move its headquarters to a 4,000-acre ranch in Wyoming, where it will grow its own algae in a hydroponic farm.
Mophie co-founders launch eco-friendly mobile accessory brand
Some of the folks behind Mophie have launched a new company called Nimble dedicated to eco-friendly smartphone accessories. Nimble launches today with a slate of new products, including wireless charging pads, stands and travel kits, along with four portable charges, all ranging in price from $40 to $100. Each product is built using plant-based bioplastics, hemp fabrics, recycled plastic bottles and recycled aluminum. The company uses speckled TPE texture rather than toxic paints and the packaging is plastic free and 100 percent compostable.
Eco-friendly concrete protects old buildings from earthquakes
Concrete has become the high-rise building material of choice because it's relatively cheap, easy to work with, long-lasting, and highly resistant to fire or explosions, unlike steel. It does have one inherent flaw, though: It's not great under tensile loads, so it requires heavy steel reinforcement to resist earthquakes. However, researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) have developed a new type of concrete with steel-like properties that can resist powerful quakes and is eco-friendly, to boot.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Concept cars and betting big on solar
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. The World Health Organization handed down some heavy news this week: Bacon causes cancer. Fortunately, scientists are developing healthier meat alternatives. One lab discovered a type of seaweed that tastes just like fried bacon (and it's two times healthier than kale), and Impossible Foods is working on the next generation of plant-based burgers. Watch out for veggie dogs though -- a new study shows that one in 10 vegetarian sausages contains meat.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: superdogs and a cave museum
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. So far Elon Musk has created next-gen spacecraft and some of the world's best electric cars -- could a futuristic airplane be next? This past week, Musk announced that he'd like to build a "pretty cool supersonic, vertical takeoff and landing electric jet." In other transportation news, automakers had a Back to the Future field day last week. Stanford rolled out a self-driving DeLorean; Toyota showcased a special Mirai with gull-wing doors and a flux capacitor; and students built an all-electric version of Doc Brown's time-traveling car. A sleek solar-powered car won the World Solar Challenge by rocketing across the Australian Outback in four days. And we took a test-drive of the all-new, completely rebuilt 2016 Chevrolet Volt, which just hit the market in California.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: 'Iron Man' prosthetics and a creepy Airbnb
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Want to see the state of the art in solar-powered architecture? Check out eight of the world's most efficient sun-powered homes built by students for the 2015 Solar Decathlon. In other solar news, Panasonic just shattered a world record by building the most efficient photovoltaic panel on the planet. A Dutch firm recently announced plans to build the largest wind farm in Africa near a remote Kenyan lake. And Washington, DC, unveiled the world's largest waste-to-energy system, which will generate electricity from the city's raw sewage.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: the Model X and man-made islands
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. After three years of anticipation Tesla just launched its latest electric car. The company says the Model X is the world's safest SUV; it can go from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds; and it comes with a "bioweapon defense mode" in case of... well, the apocalypse. Meanwhile the Volkswagen emissions scandal continues to develop, and this past week, we asked just how many people have died due to pollution emitted by affected vehicles. Perhaps the worst part is that Volkswagen may actually avoid criminal charges due to a loophole in the Clean Air Act.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Off-grid homes and fold-up planes
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. What does it take for a house to go completely off-grid? A diverse range of energy sources is key -- and this new 3D-printed house can be powered by built-in solar panels or tethered to a hybrid car. We also love this pop-up transparent dome shelter that lets you sleep beneath the stars. In other architecture news, Apple just launched its first store under the guidance of Jonathan Ives -- and it's warmer and more curvaceous than the company's previous brick and mortars. MAD Architects unveiled out-of-this-world plans for a futuristic George Lucas Museum in Chicago. And a team of researchers found a way to build a functional 24-foot rope bridge using drones.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: new EV concept cars and Napmobiles
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Up until now, Tesla has blazed a trail in the electric vehicle market -- but the major automakers are finally starting to catch up. This past week Porsche unveiled its new Mission E electric car, which packs over 600 horsepower and recharges in 15 minutes flat. Meanwhile, Audi showcased a sleek all-electric SUV to rival the Tesla Model X, and Mercedes-Benz debuted a car that can actually transform at high speeds. Even LA is jumping on the green-car bandwagon -- the city just announced plans to launch the largest electric vehicle fleet in the US. If you prefer pedal-powered transportation, don't miss out on a chance to win a Public V7 bike in our back-to-school giveaway -- it only takes a second to enter!
Inhabitat's Week in Green: 'Star Wars' parks and solar sports cars
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Last week Google unveiled a breakthrough project that could boost solar panel installations across the States. It's called Project Sunroof, and it lets you instantly see your home's potential for generating solar energy -- including how much money you could save every year. Your roof isn't the only part of your house that can generate energy -- last week researchers debuted a revolutionary new SolarWindow that could produce 50 times more energy than conventional photovoltaics. In other energy news, India made headlines by unveiling the world's first 100 percent solar-powered airport; scientists developed a new artificial leaf that uses sunlight and water to produce hydrogen fuel; and San Francisco broke ground on the world's largest hydrogen station.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: pod homes and electric highways
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. When we first saw the tiny off-grid Ecocapsule pod home, we thought it looked too good to be true -- but last week Nice Architects announced plans to produce the self-sustaining dwelling next year. The Ecocapsule harvests the sun, wind and rain, and it can be easily moved practically anywhere in the world (sort of like a super-futuristic Airstream). Speaking of portable housing, this past week M2C unveiled a series of modular POD tents that can be connected together to create camping communities, and we showcased eight buses that have been converted into amazing mobile homes. Meanwhile, a smartphone-controlled spaceship home landed in Spain, and a team of architects and engineers launched a crowdfunding campaign to build a real-life Lord of the Rings city in England.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: hypersonic jets and spider cars
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Airbus just unveiled its vision for the future of transportation: a 3,000MPH airplane that could travel from New York City to London in one hour flat. Meanwhile Lexus brought the future to life by debuting a working hoverboard that can soar through the air and fly over water. Tesla turned heads with an automatic electric car charger that looks like a robotic snake, while Swincar launched an amazing off-road spider car that can tackle any terrain. Stanford brought us one step closer to a solar future by revealing its new Arctan sun-powered vehicle, and China debuted an all-electric bus that can charge up in 10 seconds flat.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Facebook drones and giant slides
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Tesla's Model S got a lot of press when Elon Musk unveiled a "Ludicrous" upgrade that goes from 0-60 in 2.8 seconds -- but a new car built by a team of German students can go even faster than that. The electric vehicle can accelerate from 0-62MPH in a blistering 1.779 seconds, and it's currently awaiting confirmation for a Guinness World Record. In other news, Facebook just unveiled a solar-powered airplane that will beam the internet to remote locations. The Aquila has the wingspan of a Boeing 737, yet it weighs less than 1,100 pounds. This week, Inhabitat reporter Marc Carter spotted Chrysler's camouflaged new Town & Country minivan on the streets of LA -- and it looks like it's going to be a plug-in EV. Google's Street View cars show us towns and cities throughout the world -- and now they're getting equipped with pollution sensors to monitor the air we breathe. And if you're planning a road trip this summer, we've got two amazing mobile dwellings for you to check out: a stylish wood cabin on wheels and an old-school bus that's been retrofitted into a remarkable little home.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: 3D-printed villas and Earth-like planets
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. NASA dropped a bombshell this past week: The Kepler Space Telescope has discovered the most Earth-like planet to date. The rocky planet is slightly larger and warmer than our world, but it orbits a star and has the right conditions for liquid water. Meanwhile, the search for alien life goes on -- and Stephen Hawking gave his support to a $100 million project seeking to find out if we're alone in the universe. Exploring distant worlds is a challenging endeavor -- last week NASA proposed a novel robotic spacecraft that could harvest wind energy while surveying gas giants like Jupiter. And the Smithsonian Institution launched a Kickstarter to save Neil Armstrong's moon landing space suit, which is starting to fall apart after years of storage.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: electric Corvettes and volcano sharks
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Tesla is the hottest electric automaker around, but a mysterious new company called Faraday Future is nipping at its heels -- and poaching its employees. Rumor has it Faraday is working on a next-gen electric car, and it has assembled a crack team of automotive execs and designers from Tesla, GM, Ford, and Fiat. In other transportation news, Tesla gave the Model S a major upgrade with a new "Ludicrous Mode" that goes from 0-60 in just 2.8 seconds. An all-electric Corvette will soon be hitting the streets -- and it could reach a record-breaking top speed of over 200MPH. The Solar Impulse airplane has traveled halfway around the globe on sunlight alone, but it looks like it'll have to wait until next year to complete its voyage -- the plane's batteries sustained heavy damage while crossing the Pacific Ocean en route to Hawaii. And if you're still waiting for a working hoverboard, the RevoBot may be the next best thing. The futuristic body gravity board lets you glide along at 7MPH.