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On wants to rent, rather than sell, its recyclable sneakers
It's expensive, but elite runners can get new shoes every six months without any guilt that they're being wasteful.
Adidas made a running shoe that's fully recyclable
As part of its recent pledge to only use recycled plastics by 2024, Adidas has revealed a new running shoe that is made from 100 percent recyclable materials. The Futurecraft Loop was designed using nothing but thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a plastic material that dons the entire sneaker, including the tongue, laces, upper and the midsole with Boost cushioning technology. Adidas says it has been working on this project for the past six years, and the goal with it is to do its part in generating less plastic waste.
Recyclable organic solar cells: a clean fuel future made possible by trees
You don't have to know Shel Silverstein to know that trees are exceptionally giving. They're responsible for our homes, paper, air, furniture and, now, energy -- the "clean" kind, that is. Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University have jointly devised a patent-pending method to build organic solar cells using plant-derived substrates. Known as cellulose nanocrystal substrates (or CNC), these solar cells benefit from being truly disposable, eliminating the waste that results from the use of alternative materials like petroleum or glass. The CNC-made cells are not only transparent enough to allow light to pass into an embedded semiconductor, but they also dissolve when submerged into water, thus earning the esteemed recyclable distinction. Although this is undoubtedly a breakthrough for clean energy tech, it's by no means a near-future reality. Apparently, current cells can only yield a 2.7-percent conversion efficiency rate, which falls far below the 10-percent threshold met by rival fabrication methods (i.e., petroleum and glass). So, there's still significant work to be done before the team can improve production and achieve parity with those less "recyclable" options. Until that time, consider this a comforting reassurance that a clean fuel era is well within reach.
CUBEDGE EDGE.sound Bluetooth speakers coming September 1
A lot of nice Bluetooth speakers that work with your iPhone, iPad, or Mac have been making their way through the TUAW labs recently, and one of the more intriguing designs I've seen so far belongs to the CUBEDGE EDGE.sound. This new US$149.00 speaker is available for pre-order now and is expected to ship by September 1, 2012. The EDGE.sound features 10 hours of battery life, which can be extended via a soon-to-be-available attachable solar panel. With a low environmental impact in mind, the EDGE.sound uses no brominated flame retardants, contains no PVCs, and is made mostly of recyclable aluminum. Many of the speakers we've tested have featured a built-in "speakerphone" capability; the EDGE.sound does as well, but after looking at the specs it appears that the company is paying more attention to the quality of the microphone on this device. Of course, testing is the only way to be sure. Still, the EDGE.sound is a nice looking device and I look forward to reviewing it for you in the future. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Insert Coin: Berlin Boombox recyclable cardboard stereo (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. It's been years since we've spotted a proper handle-sporting boombox on this side of the equator (in public, at least), but we're decidedly impressed with this unique Kickstarter creation, dubbed the Berlin Boombox. Constructed nearly entirely of cardboard, save for some metal- and plastic-based essentials, the speaker rig ships disassembled in a flat cardboard box. Getting the Boombox up and running shouldn't require much effort, however -- the designer states that you won't need any tools during the quick assembly process. After you're done, you can connect the setup to any source with a 3.5mm headphone jack, then control volume with the large aluminum power/volume knob. The Berlin Boombox also ships with four AA batteries, though it's not clear how many hours of music you'll be able to pipe through the speakers with that initial set of cells. We also can't speak to sound quality, though there is a free custom sound profile available for iOS devices -- audio "will be remastered in real-time to use the full potential of the Berlin Boombox." You can pre-order your own with a $50 pledge, saving you 9 bucks off the estimated retail price. There's also a "limited edition" two-tone box, available with a $100 pledge, while $250 will net you a custom-designed model, which can also be paired with a dinner and tour of Berlin with the inventor if you're willing to fork over $500 or more. There's just shy of two weeks left during the funding period -- you'll need to provide that financial support before noon on April 25th. The project is on track to meet its $14,000 funding goal, however, so it's fairly safe to say that you'll be able to snag one of these cardboard contraptions even if you aren't ready to take the plunge just yet. Jump past the break to see the Berlin Boombox in action, and to catch up with our last Insert Coin project: The PowerPot.
Sprint plays the green card, drops $10 data surcharge on Froyo-based Samsung Replenish
Sprint's been playing the all-encompassing Eco-Friendly card for some time now, and it looks as if last year's Restore (now available on Virgin Mobile USA for $79.99 off-contract) is gaining an ultra-green sibling. Samsung's newly unveiled Replenish feels a bit like an Android 2.2-powered, somewhat matured BlackJack, boasting a 2.8-inch QVGA display, 2 megapixel camera / camcorder, inbuilt WiFi / GPS, a microSD card slot, an optional solar door charging accessory and a trio of color options (black, blue and -- our personal favorite -- "raspberry pink"). Curious about eco-cred? It'll ship May 8th for $49.99 (on a two-year contract) with fully recyclable packaging and a casing that includes 34.6 percent post-consumer recycled plastic content. Oh, and there's a postage-paid envelope to recycle your old phone, too. Folks opting to throw Ma Earth a bone by picking one up must activate it on an Everything Data plan, but the carrier will be waiving the $10 monthly premium data add-on charge to -- get this -- "make it easier for customers to make eco-friendly buying decisions." Translation: you'll buy whatever's cheapest. Full release is after the break. %Gallery-121381%
Sanyo: we've shipped more than 150 million Eneloop rechargeable batteries
Sanyo has announced that as of the end of 2010, it had officially shipped more than 150 million rechargeable Eneloop batteries. The company now ships the batteries -- which can be recharged up to 1,500 times -- to more than 60 countries. We reviewed Sanyo's rechargeable offering alongside another battery a few months back, which you can check out if you'd like. Other than that: the full press release is after the break.
Wave of mutilation ends as Best Buy, Sony and Microsoft take a stab at clamshell-free packaging initiative
It looks like Amazon started a trend last week when they announced their "Frustration Free Packaging" initiative, which boils down to the elimination of clamshell-style packaging for a lot of their top-sellers, and the introduction of more eco-friendly materials, like good old-fashioned (recycled) cardboard. According to The New York Times, a number of other companies, including Best Buy, Sony, and Microsoft are joining the club in eschewing heavy duty materials in favor of less aggressive ones. Anything that reduces our level of annoyance with the retail experience while pitching in to help out our increasingly threatened Mother Earth is something we'll gladly get behind. And we're pretty sure our dentist will agree.
Greener Gadgets Design Competition winners on display
You may have heard a little something about the Greener Gadgets Conference, a gathering in New York focused on cleaner, renewable, recyclable, or generally forward-thinking technology and design. At the end of the one-day event, Core77 editor-in-chief Allan Chochinov MC'd a showcase of entrants to a design competition held by the Greener Gadgets team, which were then vetted and discussed by co-organizer (and Inhabitat editor-in-chief) Jill Fehrenbacher, Valerie Casey of IDEO and The Designers Accord, and our own special-somebody, Ryan Block. When the dust settled, first prize went to crowd favorite Ener-Jar -- a DIY project which allows you to easily view how much energy an appliance is using. Second place was snapped up by the Gravia, a gravity-based lamp which generates its own power by slowly dropping a weight in its center. The third place spot was nabbed by the Green Cell Universal Battery, a standardized battery which could be swapped out in vending machines. Sure, they probably won't inspire you to trade in your gas-guzzling Hummer for a bike any time soon, but this stuff might at least get you thinking in the right direction. Check the video after the break to see how it all went down.
