Inhabitat's Week in Green: cardboard bicycle, robo raven and a steampunk Lego ship
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.
Summer is finally upon us, and polluting companies are feeling the heat as President Barack Obama announced a groundbreaking climate action plan this week that calls for cutting CO2 emissions and building more resilient communities in the face of climate change. Meanwhile, innovators around the world are continuing to tackle some of our biggest challenges. Rust-Oleum launched NeverWet - an incredible new spray that can completely waterproof any surface or object. IKEA unveiled a new solar-powered flat-pack shelter that could be easily deployed as emergency housing. Cardboard Technologies announced plans to mass-produce a $10 bicycle made almost entirely from recycled cardboard. And in one of the week's most exciting green transportation developments, England's Drayson Racing set a new land speed record for electric cars this week, shattering the previous mark by nearly 30 MPH.
It's only July, but 2013 has already been a banner year for Tesla Motors. Now, rumors are starting to circulate that Google will make a bid for the electric car company. In other green transportation news this week, inventor Chip Yates announced plans to fly an electric airplane nonstop from New York to Paris. A Volkswagen Passat TDI set a new world record by achieving 77.99 MPG in a 48-state drive -- the best fuel economy ever for a non-hybrid car. High Speed 2 released the first images of England's new 225 MPH bullet train, and in New York City, Inhabitat speculated on how parked Citi Bikes could be used to generate energy. Inhabitat also teamed up with Linus Bikes to give one lucky reader a bike worth $645.
In an effort to create a better, longer-lasting bike light, Dutch company Rydon created a new solar-powered bike light that can be permanently mounted to any bike frame. Fashion designer Pauline van Dongen unveiled a prototype for a new coat that features a series of solar-powered flaps that unfurl in the sunlight. A pair of researchers at the University of Maryland Robotics Center developed a robo raven that is able to fly by flapping its wings independently of one another. DJ and turntablist Kid Koala released an album that comes with a working DIY cardboard record player that you can assemble yourself. And Lego builder Jason Alleman built a steampunk Lego ship that can crawl around on spiderlike legs.
