A SchoolHouse Built Using Newspapers

We have seen houses constructed using straw, bamboo, shipping containers? But how about a house made from newspapers?

John Lamorie and his wife Shelly Wu set about this task using 1,000 kg of newspapers collected from students who would turn them over for points in class.

The eco-conscious couple took nearly a year to make their 75 sq-meter schoolhouse dream into reality. They converted the newspaper into building material by feeding it through a homemade blender.

Lamorie built the blender using a truck bed and a lawnmower blade. Papercrete is what he calls the building material prepared by feeding newspapers, water and cement into the blender.

Papercrete that was patented back in 1928 but was not used for mainstream construction forms the backbone of his six-inch thick school walls. The walls have a silicon coating to withstand rain damages.

The next green initiative after the eco-friendly school is a paper-based restaurant.

Via: Artdaily

'Beam down' Solar Energy Project At Masdar City

Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s multifaceted renewable energy initiative along with Japan’s Cosmo Oil Company and the Tokyo Institute of Technology has launched a new project at Masdar City.

The advanced concentrated solar power (CSP) Central Tower research and development project will test ‘beam down’ technology. The beam down technology is known to have the capability of transforming solar irradiation into electricity more efficiently in comparison to other technologies.

The beam down process does just the opposite of what the conventional solar tower technologies do.

Unlike other traditional solar tower technologies, which uses mirrors to direct the sun’s rays onto a receiver at the top of a central tower, to heat a heat transfer fluid, the beam down technology can reduce energy losses resulting from pumping the fluid to an elevated receiver, which would raise operational efficiency and lower electricity generation costs.

This research agreement is the most recent component of an ongoing effort by the UAE to position itself as a global leader in the area of renewable energy technologies.

Via: Utilities-me

Breakthrough OLED Panels Can Mimic Sunlight

Researchers at the National Tsing-Hua University in Taiwan have successfully developed OLED panels that are capable of perfectly imitating sunlight.

This breakthrough in the design of indoor lighting using OLED panels may show the way to OLED lighting solutions that are brighter and greener.

J.H. Jou and his graduate students believe that by varying the voltage through the OLED panel from three to nine volts, ambient light can be produced which imiates natural light that changes from dawn to dusk.

Indoor lighting is presently being ruled by LEDs, but OLED technology promises to be better as they are thinner and consume less power. The OLED panels may soon replace LEDs, as they are easier on the human eye and saves energy, thereby reducing greenhouse gasses produced from making electricity.

Via: DailyTech

Indian Army Install windmills and Solar Panels at Siachen Glacier

The Indian Army is adopting eco-friendly windmills and solar energy at Siachen glacier, lying between India-Pakistan and the highest battlefield of the world.

The green energy move is part of their effort to save the glacier from pollution, and to cut down on the cost of the fuel and logistic efforts.

With the installation of eco-friendly windmills and solar panels, the soldiers are no longer dependent on kerosene and diesel for running generators to heat their huts and lights.

The government has sanctioned Rs 3,000 crore to realize the green energy plan. There are also plans for renewable energy at other frontier areas in Ladakh region.

Via: Hindustan Times

Aerolabe – A Solar Powered Airship

A new concpet airship has been designed to fly green on solar energy.

Introducing the Aerolabe, brainchild of painter and sculptor Gaspard Schlumberger, who believes that solar powered aircarfts will replace current gas-guzzlers to provide a clean and green environment.

The cigar-shaped Aerolabe has solar panels and wings to make it take to the skies.

Gaspard estimates that three and a half million euros will turn his dream into a reality - with the goal of sailing over the Atlantic in the Aerolabe without polluting the airspace.

I applaud his concept but I am just curious to know what a week of thunderstorms or foggy weather will do to Aerolabe. Will passengers be stranded in mid-air?

Via Treehugger

Solar Energy On Your Subaru

Issa Awawdeh, an engineer from the West Bank, has added a solar panel and an electric motor to a Subaru. Now, the $4,000 modification allows him not to rely on petrol anymore. Instead of it, he connects his car batteries to the mains and runs the electric circuits, lights, wipers and stereo via solar energy.

I installed an electric motor, but otherwise it is a normal car and is not different from other cars. It cost me about $2.50 to drive from home to work. Now with this car, it costs me 30 cents. That means I save a lot.

The modification has indeed helped him to reduce the car’s running cost by 90 percent. He wishes that his next solar-powered car could be fueled “by 70 percent solar power,” and could offer him a top speed of 120 km per hour and a 200 km range, given that he gets the funding in time.

Via: NTDTV

Melbourne Swelters In Hottest Night Since 1902

Melbourne has suffered its hottest night since 1902 as a heat wave grips southern Australia.

While much of the northern hemisphere is suffering from unusually cold conditions, night-time temperatures in Melbourne have reached 34C (93F).

The situation was made worse as air conditioning shut down when power cuts hit homes. Electricity companies said transformers had failed in the heat.

Locals, unable to sleep from the heat, flocked to ice cream parlors and the beaches for some night swimming.

Temperatures are expected to rise to 40C on Tuesday before becoming cooler. The city was also hit by more than 100 train cancellations as air conditioning failed on trains, and rails buckle under the heat.

via BBC

Mana La Solar Car On Display at Peterson Automotive Museum

Mana La, the solar car that revolutionized the automotive arena when it was made in the late 1980s, is now on display at the Peterson Automotive Museum till May.

John Paul DeJoria, chief executive of Beverly Hills-based hair care products company John Paul Mitchell Systems, donated this car to the museum.

The 19-foot-long and 6.5 feet high and wide Mana La had participated in the inaugural World Solar Challenge in Australia too.

However, due to terrain failure and low wind power, it was eliminated from the race. Now, the solar car is on another mission i.e. to enlighten masses with the essentials of sustainability.

Via: LA Times

Coke-Powered Nokia Cellphone

Mobile phones are getting more bizarre. The latest cellphone by Chinese designer Daizi Zheng is a srange yet sustainable mobile handset that will surprise you.

Designed for Nokia, the eco-friendly cellphone runs on an innovative battery which makes use of enzymes to generate electricity from carbohydrates.


The new mobile phone concept apart from harnessing clean energy from sugary drinks like Coke or Pepsi, which generates water and oxygen, also works about four times longer than contemporary lithium batteries on a single charge.

Moreover, the handset is fully biodegradable.

Via: Dezeen/Treehugger/Likecool

Porsche Reduce CO2 Emissions With New Boxster

To comply with Europe’s strict 2012 CO2 laws, automaker Porsche is on its way to reduce its environmental impact with its next-generation Boxster sports car.

The new version prototype that is undergoing testing lowers CO2 fleet-wide CO2 numbers with smaller displacement powertrains on the lightweight and entry-level model of the Boxster.

The new car will incorporate a four-cylinder engine, or could also be seen using a three-cylinder turbo and could produce between 180 and 200 horsepower and emit just 180g/km of CO2.

Via: Autoblog

Google's Green Software Can Track Deforestation

Google is pro-active in the green energy business. It has introduced a new software that can track and monitor know the global level of deforestation.

Developed in conjunction with Greg Asner of the Carnegie Institution for Science and Carlos Souza of Imazon, the software analyzes the level of deforestation through satellite image data.

Past, present and future data combine to offer realistic info on the tree cover.

Via: Inhabitat