Green Options

Nissan has announced plans to sell compact hybrid vehicles based on its own technology in Japan, starting from 2011.

The Japanese outfit intends to make a low-cost, compact powertrain featuring an integrated electric motor providing supplemental power to the main gasoline engine. Energy will be provided by high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

According to Nissan the hybrids should be more than twice as fuel efficient as the equivalent gas-powered offerings.

The Reva Electric Car Company has announced plans to build the world’s largest factory for cheap all-electric cars, capable of a massive annual output of 30,000 units.

The Bangalore, India-based company hopes that after the Rs300m ($6.1m) facility begins production in the first quarter of next year, it will help to introduce green energy to the subcontinent’s rapidly growing automotive industry.

The Reva, a small hatchback powered by eight six-volt batteries, retails for a mega-competitive Rs350,000 in India and £7,500 ($12,200) in the UK, (where it is marketed under the G-Wiz brand), far less than most rival companies.

Speaking about the plan, Chetan Maini, Reva’s deputy chairman and chief technology officer said, “We are promoting a technology that holds the key to the global energy crisis.”

17-year-old Andrew Loader from Lindsborg, Kansas has amazed his parents by building his very own electric car (Video) from nothing more than a clapped-out Ford Escort, some batteries and an old forklift motor.

Tired of paying last summer’s high gas prices, Andrew decided to take matters into his own hands and build the street-legal vehicle after researching the idea on the internet.

To begin with, Mom and Dad were less than impressed with the scheme. “Mom told me not to, and dad did too. I had to write a letter to Mom and her friend convinced her not to ground me or kill me,” said the industrious teenager.

Nissan has announced plans to launch the large-scale production of electric cars and batteries in the United States, with a massive 50 billion Yen ($516 million) facility in Smyrna, Tennessee.

The site will be capable of knocking-out an impressive 50,000 to 100,000 EVs by 2012, with investment possibly DOUBLING to 100 billion Yen (more than $1 Billion).

Heavy Pedal Cyclecide Bike Rodeo is a consortium of inventors, bike mechanics, artists, musicians and visionaries who love bikes and building stuff. Their wild imaginations having created all manner of beautiful recycled bike art machines- everything from a wacky two-wheeled Chupacabra to a complete bicycle-powered carnival. Bicycles are seen not only as a vehicle, but also as a medium for creative expression and fun. Cyclecide member [...]

If you haven’t heard the economy is in the drink. It seems every time I turn around there is more news of another bank or company on the brink, with no foreseeable end in sight.

We’ve heard the comparisons that this recession looks very much like the great depression. It is hitting everyone’s pocket book, no matter your socioeconomic status. This free fall to the bottom isn’t discriminating.

So why should you craft when there is even less disposable income for you to play with? Well here are my top reasons you should craft when times are tough:

Man, there is a lot of recycled cotton yarn out there! We’ve looked over 2nd Time Cotton and perused what Redheart had to offer. Well now, Lion Brand has gotten in on the recycled cotton act to muted fanfare.

No trumpets or bugles, just a lonely blogger trying to give her readers more earth friendly yarn options.

This recycled cotton is made from t-shirt clippings and sorted by like color. It is then blended with acrylic and “other fiber,” so the actual amount of recycled content is just shy of 75%.

Mark Montano affixes an urban corsage on actress Anya Monzikova

The Sundance Film Festival kicked off on January 15th and wrapped up yesterday. In amongst the films and snow, celebrity attendees participated in green crafting at an event called The Green Lodge with Mark Montano author of The Big Ass Book of Crafts. The craft-a-thon was sponsored by Amazing EcoGlue from Eclectic Products, Inc.

The Green Lodge focused on eco-crafting by using products that can be recycled, upcycled and restyled. Celebrities including KayCee Stroh of High School Musical cast, Aubrey O’Day from Making of the Band 3, actress Anya Monzikova from Tropic Thunder and a Deal or No Deal alumna, and Alice Greczyn from Privileged and Lincoln Heights, were were inspired to create eco-chic and sustainably stylish projects and gifts alongside the expert crafter and designer.

I’ve been hanging onto a lot of cassette tapes from way back when. I can’t seem to get rid of them. But perhaps I could turn them into something new and different. I know we’ve been over what to do with the physical, plastic case, and there is a fiber made from the tape itself (it makes sound!). But what about knitting?

Yup, knitting.

You can take the inside of the cassette tape and easily knit with it. I mean, it usually got caught in the cassette player anyways. Remember how it got eaten and tangled? Ugh. Well, just be careful when you unwind the tape and treat it like any yarn that could get tangled.

What can you make with your tape? Well, just about anything that you can dream up. How about an ipod cover (oh the irony.) Or what about an evening bag, doll clothes, granny square? The possibilities are endless.

In an effort to tackle Pakistan’s growing energy shortage, representatives of the burgeoning Chinese solar industry have offered to cooperate with the country on a high profile partnership to manufacture solar energy equipment.

My neighbor Alyssa and I spent this afternoon making paper pots to propagate wildflower seeds for our neighborhood community garden. Anyone can create these simple recycled pots using an empty can or jar and paper; we used cut up grocery bags and old newspapers for our organic planting project.