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Google turns its AI on traffic lights to reduce pollution
Google is working on a project that could use AI to make traffic lights more efficient and, as a result, decrease pollution in general.
Google's Nest Renew program can help you use more clean energy at home
Nest Renew will look at when the power going into your home is cleaner and turn your Nest thermostats on or off accordingly.
The next ‘Sims 4’ expansion is all about sustainable living
A new sustainability-focused expansion pack is coming to The Sims 4 on June 5th.
Some of the greenest gadgets for Earth Day
Most of us know how we can be friendlier to the environment: We can drive less, recycle more and bring tote bags to the grocery store. But what most people don't realize is that we can make green choices when it comes to consumer electronics too. Thanks to rising environmental standards, it's easier than ever to buy gadgets that won't leave a huge carbon footprint. In honor of Earth Day, we present you with a list of some of the greenest products you can buy.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: terra-cotta heaters, edible snow globes and 3D-printed dog legs
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. In a big win for the environment, New York just became the first state in the country to ban hydraulic fracturing, the controversial natural gas drilling technique also known as fracking. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the decision this week following the release of a report that raised concerns about the health effects of fracking. In other green energy news, Australian households are beefing up their use of solar energy at an impressive rate -- one in five Australian homes is now powered by the sun. (By comparison, just 0.4 percent of homes in the US have solar panels.)
Inhabitat's Week in Green: triple-decker tree houses, prototype Hyperloop pods and a massive biodome
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. A man's home is his castle -- even if that castle happens to be a truck. A family of three recently transformed a small truck into a regal off-the-grid home complete with turrets and fake masonry. Singapore has seen a boom in innovative green architecture in recent years, and the city will soon be home to the world's lushest airport. Construction officially began last week on the Jewel Changi Airport, which will be filled with plants, and it will even feature the world's largest indoor waterfall. The massive biodome is expected to be completed in 2018. In other architecture and design news, the folks at Tentsile have created a new suspended tree tent that lets you create triple-decker tree houses in the sky. A team of tightrope walkers has them beat, however -- with a stupefying hand-knitted hammock suspended 400 feet above a desert canyon.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: stain-proof shirts, eco-friendly gifts and the top six uses for urine
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. For many, the holidays are a time to spend lots of money on things that aren't so great for the environment. But it doesn't need to be that way! The friendly elves over at Inhabitat have rounded up some of the greenest holiday decorations and gifts to help you celebrate the season with a clear conscience. Instead of chopping down a tree, decorate your home with one of these 14 faux Christmas trees. And if you're looking for inspiration to make your own holiday tree, check out these sculptural Christmas trees made from bottles, bikes and shopping carts.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: interactive pajamas, Earth-sized force field and a fold-up camper
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 holiday shopping season kicked off on Friday, and Inhabitat is here to help you get through the shopping madness with our carefully curated Green Holiday Gift Guide. With over 200 inspired gift ideas, we've got something for everyone on your list; from gadget geeks to green thumbs, crafters to hostesses, parents to kids. And speaking of unique gift ideas, here are some weird ones we saw this past week. Toilet company Kohler is behind one of the strangest products to cross our inbox in recent weeks: a smart toilet seat that can make your poop smell like avocados. Seriously. For the person who can't live without the internet, there's Lantern -- a tiny solar-powered device that brings connectivity to off-grid areas. And Balance Edutainment has created the world's first interactive pajamas, combining organic and fair trade cotton PJs with a mobile app and books for children.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: magnetic hoverboard, cardboard robots and a Toyota Prius camper
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 Los Angeles Auto Show kicked off last week, and Inhabitat was on the scene to bring you a first look at the hottest new green cars. Among the vehicles unveiled at this year's show were Volkswagen's SportWagen HyMotion hydrogen fuel cell concept car and Audi's new A7 Sportback H-Tron Quattro, which is also powered by hydrogen. Inhabitat editor Mike Chino also had the opportunity to test-drive the futuristic Toyota Mirai, which can be powered by clean hydrogen gas made from raw sewage. In other green transportation news, the company Camp-Inn has created a crazy custom Toyota Prius that transforms the hybrid sedan into a small camper. With a fiber-reinforced plastic hump added to the back of the car, there's enough space for a bed.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Glow-in-the-dark roads, lettuce factories and a liquid-filled lamp
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. Could the entire world someday run on solar power? The amount of energy that hits the Earth in just 40 minutes could fuel all of the world's energy needs for a year -- the trouble is harnessing that power. Check out this new infographic to see if it's truly feasible. On the green tech and design front, Arturo Erbsman showcased his innovative liquid-filled lamp, which diffuses light with water condensation, at Belgium's Biennale Interieur 2014 show.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: flying cars, solar paint and a needle-free vaccine
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. In recent months Ebola has ravaged West Africa, and there are currently more than 13,000 confirmed cases around the world. But medical workers may soon have a new weapon in their arsenal: A needle-free vaccine has proven to be 100 percent effective at stopping the transmission of Ebola in animals. The vaccine, which is administered through a nasal spray, could help prevent further outbreaks of the virus. If you have a medical emergency, the time it takes for an ambulance to arrive can be the difference between life and death. That's where The Ambulance Drone comes in. The small quadcopter, created by Delft University graduate Alec Momont, contains a defibrillator, CPR aids and various medicines, and it also contains a camera and communication device, enabling an emergency response team to communicate with people on the scene.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Long-range EVs, vegetable biofuel and a wearable for Alzheimer's patients
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. It would be an understatement to say that Tesla Motors has disrupted the electric car market, and other carmakers have taken note of their success. Ford just revealed that it is considering building a similar long-range electric car that would rival the Model S's 265-mile range. (Ford's only fully electric car, the Ford Focus Electric, has a range of just 76 miles.) In other automotive news, Detroit Electric has revealed the final exterior design of the SP:01, its electric two-seater sports car. When the car goes on sale next year, it will be the world's fastest production electric sports car with a 0-60MPH time of just 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 155MPH.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Wind farms, algae power and an airplane made of hemp
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. Highways are big, dark surfaces that soak in lots of sun. Wouldn't it make more sense to make them solar-powered? That's what designer Daan Roosegaarde thought, and now he's making it a reality. Roosegaarde teamed up with Heijmans Infrastructure to install solar-powered glowing lines on a highway in the Netherlands. The test was a success, and it will soon expand to other parts of the country. Also on the renewable energy front, Masdar is building a 50-megawatt wind farm for the Sultanate of Oman, making it the largest wind farm in the Gulf states region. The wind farm will provide enough clean energy to power 16,000 homes, and it will prevent 110,000 tonnes (121,254 tons) of carbon dioxide from being burned per year. And in the UK, Primrose Solar is teaming up with Solarcentury to build a 48-megawatt solar farm in Portsmouth. The companies are aiming to make it the greenest ground-mounted solar farm in the world. Think algae is just green slime? Think again: The natural resource can power everything from a light bulb to an entire city. Here's a roundup of some of the top algae-powered designs that could change the world.
No camouflage can hide this weird Mercedes prototype
Spy photos from our sister site Autoblog have revealed a concept car from Mercedes that looks like it was beamed back from 20 years in the future. The silver-colored vehicle sports a wedge shape, cycle fenders, an extreme cab-forward design and narrow tires -- calling to mind Volkswagen's 260MPG XL1 hyrid. Our guess? The tires and aerodynamics suggest an extreme-mileage vehicle, likely a full-on EV, hybrid or other green-tech vehicle, perhaps with a self-driving option. As for when we might see it, we'd place a bet on January at Las Vegas. That's when Mercedes-Benz CEO Dr. Dieter Zetsch will deliver his CES 2015 keynote speech, and yes, unveil an all-new concept car. For a full gallery, check the source. [Image credit: Autoblog]
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Tesla D, 'Quake Column' and disaster-proof earth homes
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. We may take them for granted, but blue LEDs were difficult to develop -- it took 27 years to create the first one, and now they're in virtually every LED lightbulb on the market. Now the scientists who invented these energy-saving lights are finally getting their due: the 2014 Nobel Prize in physics. "Their inventions were revolutionary," wrote the Nobel Committee. "Incandescent light bulbs lit the 20th century; the 21st century will be lit by LED lamps."
Inhabitat's Week in Green: jewel-like greenhouses, solar planes and a space elevator
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. Could Apple's new spaceship campus be the greenest building on the planet? It will be, according to CEO Tim Cook, who made the bold statement at a Climate Week NYC event last week. "It'll be the center of innovation and it's something that our employees want and that we want," said Cook. In other tech news, a trio of 16-year-old Irish girls took the top prize at the Google Science Fair 2014 for developing a project that will combat the global food crisis. The project aims to provide a solution to low crop yields by pairing a nitrogen-fixing bacteria that naturally occurs in the soil with cereal crops it does not normally associate with, such as barley and oats. Speaking of Google, the search giant just ended its relationship with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a shadowy organization that writes industry-friendly bills for conservative legislators. The reason? Google Chairman Eric Schmidt says that the group is "literally lying" about climate change.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: hydroelectric house, human hamster wheel and a saltwater-powered car
Salt water covers the vast majority of the Earth's surface, making it one of the most abundant and under-appreciated resources on the planet. Taking advantage of this resource, Nanoflowcell has developed the world's first saltwater-powered electric car! The vehicle, known as the Quant e-Sportlimousine, can accelerate from 0-62MPH in an impressive 2.8 seconds, and it just received approval for testing in Europe. In other green transportation news, designer Dominic Wilcox just unveiled a self-driving car with a bed inside -- so you can catch up on sleep while you commute to work! The real kicker? It's made from gorgeous panels of stained glass.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Tesla Gigafactory, Blue Lagoon and an electric unicycle
Tesla has emerged as one of the world's most exciting and successful electric vehicle manufacturers -- and now the Silicon Valley company is getting into the battery business in a big way. Tesla CEO Elon Musk just unveiled new images of the company's $5 billion battery "gigafactory" -- and he also broke the news that it will be powered entirely by renewable energy! Most vehicles fall into a specific category: sedan, pickup truck, station wagon, etc. -- but Toyota's new U Squared concept is the Swiss Army knife of cars. The insanely flexible vehicle folds out to seat up to four passengers, or you can fold down three seats and roll out an array of racks, movable rails and storage trays to accommodate everything from surfboards and bikes to bulky equipment.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: plastic bag ban, solar briefcase and gold in the sand
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. It's been a bright summer for solar energy -- Samoa just cut the ribbon on the largest solar array in the South Pacific, and even Saudi Arabia -- the country with one of the largest oil reserves in the world -- is investing heavily in photovoltaic technology. We also showcased an awesome energy-generating briefcase that lets you carry solar power everywhere you go! In other renewable energy news, Seoul, Korea, is planning to install new hydro-powered charging stations so that residents can keep their mobile devices charged. The city will install mini hydroelectric turbines embedded in the Cheonggyecheon River, which runs through the capital's downtown. And a town in Denmark just unveiled an amazing Energy Tower that transforms trash into electricity!
Inhabitat's Week in Green: biofuel, supersonic submarine and a 3D-printed home
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. Mobile technology continues to expand and evolve, but until we develop a way to charge our devices on the go, we'll continue to jockey for outlets at airports and coffee shops. Enter Angelo Casimiro, a 15-year-old who has developed a shoe that harnesses the power of footsteps to charge your phone. The youth of today continue to be at the forefront of renewable energy innovation; a 14-year-old named Gregory Martin recently made a major biofuel breakthrough with a technique that boosts the amount of lipids in algae by over 500 percent.
