Hasta La Gadget!

The Wadi Hanifa is a valley in Saudia Arabia, that’s over 75 miles long. And thanks to increased urbanization, it became subject to runoff from a local sewage treatment plant, turning it into a toxic sewer. But in 2001 Moriyama & Teshima Planners, a Toronto-based architectural firm, was tasked with cleaning up the valley and has now been recognized for turning it into a sparkling oasis.

The firm won five Aga Khan awards this week for its work on the $100 million project, funded by the city of Riyadh.

“Wadi Hanifa was Riyadh’s dump and its sewer,” Moriyama & Teshima Planners president George Stockton said. “What we wanted to do was to bring Wadi Hanifa back to life. So after decades of neglect, we are now seeing this amazing rebirth and transformation of Wadi Hanifa as a naturalized park system.

In addition to cleaning up the valley, the rehabilitation project also included the installation of dams to regulate water flow and planting reeds to help purify the water further. The Wadi Hanifa now serves as a home to plenty of social activities, including fishing and picnicking.

You can view a series of before and after images of the valley at the CBC.

Last week the Philadelphia Eagles announced that they would be retrofitting their home stadium Lincoln Financial Field into something much more green. And while the eco-friendly makeover won’t be completed until September of next year, the football club has released a pair of concept images that show what the stadium will look like.

The images show the 80, spiral shaped wind turbines that will be mounted along the edges of the stadium’s roof, while large solar panel installations will be located on the exterior of the building. The whole installation will cost an estimated $30 million, but is also expected to save the club nearly $60 million in energy savings over its lifespan.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell believes that the Eagles will be just the first of many NFL clubs to go initiate this type of environmentally friendly stadium upgrade. “The NFL is one of the most competitive clubs in the world,” he said. “That’s because our clubs are competitive with one another.”

Via NPR

Are you a bicycling enthusiast? Do you own a special pair of specially-designed biking gloves? Do you hold a vehement hatred towards people who drive cars to destinations two blocks away, and also towards pedestrians who dare tread upon your clearly-demarcated bike lane? Do you feel a sense of accomplishment at having biked through a cold winter night even when public transportation could have cut your travel time in half?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then you my friend, are a biker. And we would like to put you and your protective gear to work saving the planet.

One green-minded biker has created a way to convert all that wind passing over his helmet into electricity. This mobile skull-adorned windmills utilize propellers in order to charge embedded batteries (it takes a two-hour ride to fully-charge). The batteries can then be connected to other devices by USB.

However, this isn’t meant to be just another green gadget, but rather [sic]:

We want to use it as a medium to sensibilise the public for environmental topics and to integrate sustainability topics into the lifestye of young people by creating a positive experience.

via vimeo

We’ve seen a wind powered yacht, and now we present a solar powered boat. But not just any solar powered boat, it’s the world’s largest. And it’s set to take a trip around the world.

The boat, dubbed the TÛRANOR PlanetSolar, actually set sail last month where it began the journey in Monaco. It should be making additional stops in Miami and Cancún over the next month, with the plan being to travel around the globe without using any fossil fuels whatsoever.

The TÛRANOR is owned by German entrepreneur Immo Ströher, and measures in at a staggering 5,700 square feet. And most of that space is covered with solar panels, with all of the energy absorbed is stored on a lithium ion battery. The boat cost a total of $17.5 million to build.

Via USA Today

Nokero has unveiled its second generation light bulb, the aptly named N200, which is now available. Like its predecessor, the N200 is solar powered and water proof and designed as a way of reducing the need for kerosene fueled lighting in developing countries.

The bulb can be hung via an adjustable hanger so that it can always be in the best position for maximum solar absorption. The gathered solar energy is then transfered from the solar panel located on top and used to power a rechargable, replaceable battery inside. It also features three different settings: on, off, and turbo-task. While operating in regular on mode, the N200 can last around six hours on one day’s charge. When you brighten things up for turbo-task, that number shrinks to about two and a half hours.

As for life, Nokero says that the rechargable battery has a lifespan of two years, and could last as long as five years after that, with a new battery of course. In order to make the N200 a financially viable option for people in developing countries, Nokero is hoping to sell them for $15 or less.

Via Engadget