Aug 04

Waste Landscape installation reminds us why CDs weren’t that great (video)

Posted in: Environment, Music, Today's Chili, video
For most people, the term “waste landscape” may evoke images of desolate industrial zones, toxic sewage leaks, or Phish concerts. But architect Clémence Eliard and artist Elise Morin took a slightly more digital approach to the concept, constructing their undulating Waste Landscape installation from 65,000 unsold (and unwanted) CDs. To do this, the pair sewed the discs together by hand, before blanketing them over dune-like wire constructions inside the Centquatre — a Parisian art space that, appropriately enough, was once a funeral home. The result is an array of sloping, shimmering hills that emerge from the floor like disco ball pimples, creating a space that the artists not-so subtly compare to an oil spill. It’s a pretty sobering reminder of the environmental fingerprint archaic technologies can leave behind, but Eliard and Morin’s story has a happy ending. When the exhibit comes to a close, every single CD will be recycled into polycarbonate. Spin past the break to see a video that’ll make you wanna give your iPod a hug.

Continue reading Waste Landscape installation reminds us why CDs weren’t that great (video)

Waste Landscape installation reminds us why CDs weren’t that great (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 20:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 14

Chevy Volts invade NYC police fleet, give cops all new ways to taze bros

Posted in: electric vehicle, ElectricVehicle, Environment, ev, Ford, new-york, Today's Chili
New York’s boys in blue will soon be able to creep up on evildoers with even more subtlety, thanks to some new electrified vehicles the city unveiled yesterday. As part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s environmentally-friendly PlaNYC initiative, 70 new EVs have been added to the city’s fleet of public cars, in the hopes of lowering emissions and creating a “greener, greater New York City.” Joining the force are ten Ford Transit Connect cargo vans, ten Navi-star E-star trucks and a full 50 Chevy Volts — some of which will be used as NYPD squad cars. These newcomers will be shared among nine different departments, joining 360 other city plug-ins already purring their way across the five boroughs. Bloomberg is also working toward adding EVs to New York’s army of 13,000 taxis — which we’re totally cool with, as long as they’re not minivans. Zip past the break for a rather Homeric press release.

Continue reading Chevy Volts invade NYC police fleet, give cops all new ways to taze bros

Chevy Volts invade NYC police fleet, give cops all new ways to taze bros originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 11

NTT DoCoMo to power cellphone towers with renewable energy, tenderness

Posted in: Environment, green, Japan, network, solar power, SolarPower, Today's Chili

When they’re not busy carving handsets out of teak (or rockin’ out with their pupils), the folks over at NTT DoCoMo apparently focus their efforts on saving the environment. Next year, the Japanese provider will begin outfitting its expansive cellphone tower network with ten “green transmission stations,” to be powered by an artillery of biofuels, wind and solar energy. This kind of infrastructure would obviously bring a smile to the face of ol’ Mama Nature, but it could also help mitigate the adverse effects of power outages and elfin insurgents. And for that, we should all be grateful.

NTT DoCoMo to power cellphone towers with renewable energy, tenderness originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAFP (PhysOrg)  | Email this | Comments

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Jul 08

Pioneer’s AVIC-ZHO9-MEV, the first satnav for hypermilers

Posted in: car, electric, electric car, ElectricCar, Environment, gps, navigation, satellite, Today's Chili
Are you the switched-on environmental type who plans your Prius journey around how much air resistance you’re likely to encounter on the way to Whole Foods? Rejoice! Now you can stop worrying and learn to love your car stereo if you purchase Pioneer‘s newest Navigation Unit designed specifically for electric vehicles, the AVIC-ZHO9-MEV. Hiding behind that easy to remember (and decidedly catchy) name is a device that estimates your car’s remaining battery, power consumption and opportunities for energy regeneration, planning your routes accordingly. Expect to be detouring down lots of short hills with slow moving traffic at the bottom, or maybe it’ll just give up on the whole idea of roads and demanding you switch to train tracks. It also has the usual things you’d expect from such a unit, so you can play DVDs on the 7-inch display, receive digital TV and radio and play MP3, WMA and AAC discs. The unit drops in Japan in ‘late July’ with an RRP of 246,750¥ — around $3,038.11.

Pioneer’s AVIC-ZHO9-MEV, the first satnav for hypermilers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 08:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePioneer Japan (Translated)  | Email this | Comments

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Jul 06

Coca-Cola’s green billboard consumes carbon dioxide like so much sugary soda

Posted in: ad, ads, Environment, green, Today's Chili

Sure, we’ve seen plenty of cool billboard features over the years, from facial recognition to interactive Pong games, but few have managed the dual feat of promoting a popular soft drink and making the world a slightly greener place. All of that fuzzy area you see surrounding the silhouette of the Coke bottle in the above 60 by 60 foot billboard is made up of a number of Fukien tea plants, each of which can soak up around 13 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, for a combined total of 46,800 pounds. The plants are housed in pots made from recycled Coke bottles and are watered via a drip irrigation system. The billboard is the product of a partnership between Coca-Cola Philippines and the World Wildlife Fund. No word on when it might be greening up more skylines around the world. Press release below.

Continue reading Coca-Cola’s green billboard consumes carbon dioxide like so much sugary soda

Coca-Cola’s green billboard consumes carbon dioxide like so much sugary soda originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 30

Microsoft shuts down utility monitoring service, proves you can’t go Hohm again

Posted in: Environment, green, Microsoft, Today's Chili

Is there anything more tragic than a broken Hohm? Microsoft announced this week that it will be shuttering its utility monitoring service at the close of May 2012, citing a lack of consumer adoption. The news comes a week after Google announced the closing of its competing PowerMeter service. Despite the shutdown, however, Microsoft assures us all that it’s still in the business of developing energy solutions for cities with a wide-ranging list of partners. Hohm itself will continue to operate through the end of May 2012, at which point its users will be rendered Hohmless.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Microsoft shuts down utility monitoring service, proves you can’t go Hohm again originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 10

Smug alert: Google says it has largest corporate EV charging network in the US (video)

Posted in: car, charger, charging, electric vehicle, ElectricVehicle, Environment, ev, Google, green, Today's Chili, video
Things are just getting greener and greener over at Google. Yesterday, the company triumphantly declared that its Mountain View campus now boasts the largest corporate EV charging network in the US, with some 200 chargers currently in place, plus an extra 250 that are on the way. It’s all part of El Goog’s RechargeIt sustainability initiative, launched in 2007, which has also given rise to the Gfleet — a set of company-owned plug-ins made available for employees. Now that Google has purchased some extra Chevy Volts and Nissan Leafs, this Gfleet will eventually expand to include a total of 30 EVs, which explains the expansion of its ChargePoint Network. The ultimate goal is to have charging stations at five percent of Mountain View’s parking spaces, all of which will be searchable on Google Maps, and available for employees to use for free. The company hopes this initiative will encourage more people to purchase EVs, and estimates that it’ll eventually save a total of 5,400 tonnes of CO2 per year — the equivalent to removing about 2,000 cars from the road. Head past the break for a video on the program, or hit up the source link if you’d like to help Google pat itself on the back.

Continue reading Smug alert: Google says it has largest corporate EV charging network in the US (video)

Smug alert: Google says it has largest corporate EV charging network in the US (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 07:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  sourceGoogle Green Blog  | Email this | Comments

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Jun 09

Japan trying out roadside service vehicles capable of charging EVs, soothing range anxiety

Posted in: car, Cars, charger, charging, electric, electric car, electric vehicle, ElectricCar, ElectricVehicle, Environment, ev, Japan, prototype, Today's Chili, Transportation

No matter how hard Nissan tries to convince folks that driving an EV won’t leave them stranded on the side of the road gagging for electricity, that pesky range anxiety issue continues to permeate discussions about electric cars. So, what else to do but strap an EV charger on roadside service vehicles? The Japan Automobile Federation is trialing just such a scheme, with a Nissan-built prototype service truck helping to top up electrified transporters that have ended up bereft of juice at an inopportune moment. The trial’s gotten its start in Kanagawa Prefecture this week, which, incidentally, happens to be using a Nissan Leaf as its governor’s official car. So, even if you do figure out a way to use up your Leaf’s entire battery, you get the comfort of knowing you’re riding like a governor and that the good men in orange jumpsuits will be there to take care of your problemo.

Continue reading Japan trying out roadside service vehicles capable of charging EVs, soothing range anxiety

Japan trying out roadside service vehicles capable of charging EVs, soothing range anxiety originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 08:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 07

Europe’s first solar powered train tunnel goes live on Belgian high-speed line (video)

Posted in: Environment, europe, green, solar, solar power, SolarPower, Today's Chili, Travel, video

The train ride from Paris to Amsterdam may not be the most scenic of European railway routes, but it’s the only one capable of harnessing the awesome power of the Sun — for two miles, at least. Yesterday, engineers in Belgium officially switched on Europe’s first solar-powered train tunnel, spanning a 2.1-mile stretch of the rail line connecting the City of Lights to Mokum. The installation’s 16,000 solar panels will be used to provide 50 percent of the energy needed to power nearby Antwerp Central Station and to provide extra juice for both high-speed and traditional trains. Originally developed to help protect travelers from falling trees in an ancient forest, the project is expected to produce up to 3.3MWh 3,300 megawatts hours per year, while decreasing annual CO2 emissions by about 2,400 tons. Speed past the break for some aerial footage of the artery, along with a brief PR from Enfinity — the Belgian renewable energy company that helped bring it to life.

Update: According to the AFP, the tunnel will produce 3,300 megawatts hours per year.

Continue reading Europe’s first solar powered train tunnel goes live on Belgian high-speed line (video)

Europe’s first solar powered train tunnel goes live on Belgian high-speed line (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 31

Wind Turbines May Not Be the Prettiest Structures, But They’re a Real Cash-Cow For Residents

Posted in: Environment, Today's Chili, top

It’s usually disheartening to wake up and discover the wind is blowing. But if that wind is proving to be quite the money-spinner, you may feel differently about the huge white objects dotted around the horizon. And the wind. More »

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