Luke Laborde turned a 32 mpg gas-burning Bradley GT II kit car into a [...]
An astonishing new survey has revealed that more than 60% of Americans would refuse to stop using their iPods, even if they knew it was seriously damaging the environment.
The survey, which quizzed more than 1,000 people across the US, found that, whilst the majority of Americans are making efforts to buy greener products, most wouldn’t do so if it meant compromising on convenience or comfort.
Eighth-grader David S. Dixon–along with his dad David G. Dixon–has built a street-legal quadricycle powered by a solar-charged electric motor. The bike not only carries his dog and three friends, but it has also has an iPod dock and GPS. Ya, it’s that cool!
Coined as the Solar Human Hybrid (SOHH), the vehicle was launched as part of David Jr.’s middle school project for the Novato Charter School.
I’m coming to the conclusion that there’s very little that’s sustainable about the company known as GM.
It’s frustrating and sad, because I was raised in the auto city and had family members who worked in the industry. I even spent a summer at the GM Tech Center (working for then EDS as an intern at the time). I’m perplexed by the company’s name which most of us recognize only as a vehicle company. But it wasn’t always this way.
There was a time when GM was diversified, and innovative. I was amazed by the poor decision making at GM when it recalled and promptly crushed their all-electric EV1s after bringing them to market in 1996. I drove an EV1 in California; it rocked! The company used to also make refrigerators starting in the 1920s under the Frigidaire brand and airplane components during WWII (my grandfather was an engineer who worked on a few).
So when, exactly, did the General Motors Corporation stop becoming a “generalist” industrial powerhouse making motors and instead, devote all its energies to making only motors in transportation vehicles and to lesser extent, but profitable one, vehicles for the military — you know, Humvees and the like?
A couple weeks ago I was looking for examples of this principle. I wanted to show how a company’s marketing message should extend beyond greenness to appeal to other core consumer attributes people expect from a good products. I put out a query on HARO and received dozens of interesting products. Of those, five stood out.
The first thing I noticed about Vers iPod Docks is that they are incredibly beautiful. But, they first thing theat Vers wants you to know about their products is that they sound great. They let the fact that they have been touted as the most environmentally friendly iPod dock available speak for itself and focus instead on the benefits that consumer’s want in a an iPod dock: Great sound and good looks. In the words of David Laituri, partner in Sprout Creation makers of Vers products:
“We tend to focus on superior sound quality and design, and environmental thoughtfulness a fast second. Since our sustainable design efforts are a work in progress, we avoid ‘green’ and ‘environmentally friendly’ whenever possible.”
Green Toys are made out of recycled milk containers and are made in the USA (so from a supply chain position they are very environmentally sound.) Green Toys are also packaged in recycled corrugated boxes with no plastics, cellophane or twist-ties, and are 100% recyclable. But most importantly, they positioned as safe (they contain no traceable amounts of Phthalates or BPA and have no external coatings with lead paint) and fun (they are chunky and colorful and beg to be played with).
*Sigh.* Sometimes I hear news that just makes me want to cry.
Today is one of those days. And the FDA, for once, has nothing to do with it.
Nielsen Company released a report this week that showed that American TV viewing is at an all-time high.
We are a nation of vidiots.
Yep, in the fourth quarter of last year, personal TV use was at 151 hours per month, up from 145 hours for each of the last three months in the previous year. That would be about 4 ½ hours per day per person.
American households watch, on average, 8 hours, 18 minutes of TV per day. What the?! Oh my, why are Junior’s grades so awful? Why is he “heavy set”?
These space-age-looking glasses soak up rays while protecting users’ eyes from them. The solar juice they collect can be used to power iPods and similar gadgets while out at the beach, the ballpark and a thousand other places, more or less.
As it says at Yanko Design:
The dye solar cell is described by the designers of the SIG as “cheap organic dye [used with] nano technology [providing] cheap but high
[...]
Tremont Electric has launched a portable energy generator that allows users to charge handheld electronic devices simply by going for a walk.
The nPower PEG, launched at last week’s 2009 CES event, works on the principle of electromagnetic induction to create a 100% renewable energy source for everything from iPods to mobile phones. To get a charge, users simply connect the PEG to their mobile device and lay it vertically, either against their hip, or in a bag, while they go for a walk or a run.
A team of designers have created solar power generating sunglasses capable of charging portable electronic devices on-the-go.
The SIG, or ’self-energy converting sunglasses,’ contain integrated dye-solar cells and can be simply connected to the power jack in an iPod or PSP, allowing devices to be charged without the need to hook up to the mains supply.
Music fan Owen Louis was so concerned about the amount of energy used up by his iPod, that he figured out a way of charging it up … with nothing more than an onion.
Louis, 21, from Portsmouth in the UK, makes two holes in an onion, before soaking it in an everyday energy drink and connecting it to his MP3 via a standard USB cable. Incredibly, the technique (video) enables him to charge his iPod for a full hour. According to Louis, “A friend showed me the experiment as a laugh but I thought it was the greatest thing I have ever seen, and do it religiously every day.”
This is a guest post by John Simonetta, owner of an eco-friendly promotional items consultancy (see ProfromaGreen.com). John’s blogs are designed to keep us up to date on the “greening” of his industry.
It is becoming more and more obvious that an economic slowdown is coming.
As Ecopreneurists what does that mean to us? I think it means that we need to remember the entrepreneur part of our names as well as the Eco. Tough times are when fortunes are made. They are when more people are open to new ideas, because the old ideas no longer seem to work. Tough times are times to get creative.
Some ideas to make tough times work for you.
Money that is being spent will need to go farther as there may be less of it in your client’s or customer’s budgets. So add value by looking at the full spectrum of what you are selling. Can you offer more and make your client a better deal (i.e. you sell the stove, but what if you can sell the stove, the pots, the pans, and the power for the stove all together). By offering more you can lower your price on the complete bundle but you may make better, larger sales as you are solving more issues for the client).
Who is your competition? Take them to lunch, ask them some questions. Maybe you can serve your clients better if you team together. Or maybe your competition doesn’t have the fight for this coming slowdown and you can expand your business by taking over theirs.
Same idea one step removed. Who are your competitor’s sales leaders, their designers, their useful people? Take them to lunch. Are they scared for their jobs? Show them how they could benefit from being part of a stronger, better focused company. Fear is an amazing motivator, but it also locks people in place. If you can help someone better their position with a better job, now is the time to pitch it.
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