eco-chic design

modular design for solar-powered electronics

In my ongoing efforts to reduce my energy consumption I finally started researching solar-powered speaker systems for my iPhone that also have a space-saving design. Well, you guessed it. Inevitably I landed on Regen’s solar-powered ReNu Audio Dock for iPod and iPhone. And let me just warn you upfront before you get too excited, like myself, that it won’t be available until fall 2010. I love the small size of the ReNu Audio Dock since it’s perfect for small studios plus you can easily take it with you on weekend getaways. But first you’ll also need the ReNu Panel that comes separately. Simply expose the ReNu Panel to direct sunlight for 7-14 hours depending on its indoor or outdoor location to get a fully charged Lithium Ion battery. After that you can enjoy up to eight hours of sound. 

What struck me the most though about this eco-fabulous family of solar-powered electronics is that the modular design works with a range of devices. And multi-functionality as well as adaptability is a big component of sustainable design. The full line of products includes the actual ReNu Panel that can be used with the ReNu iPod Dock, the ReNu Audio Dock and even the ReNu Side Light. The latter is essentially a sustainable desk lamp with an LED light. All products have the same sleek design and are great additions to a sustainable home or home office setup.

from fire hose waste to fashion accessories

Prompted by a visit to the London Fire Brigade Kresse Wesling, the founder of Elvis & Kresse learned that a fire hose can’t be recycled. That’s how the idea to turn reclaimed waste into fun and functional life-style accessories originated. Since then Elvis & Kresse has been sourcing waste materials from brigades all over the UK. It’s only fair to give discarded fire hoses a second life after they saved the lives of so many people. The upcyled line of life-style accessories encompasses bags and wallets but the belts and iPhone cases are my favorites. The belts make great sustainable summer accessories with their colorful designs in red and yellow. The unisex ladybird belt has a solid rectangular buckle, made with 100% reclaimed pewter. Not only is the outer skin of the Elvis & Kresse iPhone case made from discarded fire hose but the inside is lined with reclaimed parachute silk. Expect irregularities on the outside shell since the hose itself is vintage. But that’s what makes them cool.

Elvis & Kresse is always on the lookout for new, or may I say old materials to upcycle them into eco-modern fashion or home accessories. The company looks at the full-life cycle of their products by ensuring that shipping materials are reclaimed or reused such as old tea sacks and end-of-line labels. Plus it donates 50% of their of profits to the Fire Fighters Charity. All this gets me thinking what else I can reuse.

solar powered iPhone charger for green digital nomads

Motivated by the unseasonable sunny weather in New York I spent way more time in Central Park and really missed a solar powered charger for my iPhone. Not using the sun’s power felt like a waste of energy. Thanks to inhabitat for introducing me to the Novothink solar surge iPhone/iPod case. It’s the perfect green gadget for a sustainable mobile life-style. I use my iPhone all day long for browsing the web, listening to music and answering e-mails. With Novothink’s hybrid solar charger case I could even do it off the grid. So how does it work? The Novothink solar surge case generates electricity through photovoltaic solar cells that are on the back. This energy is then stored in a lithium-ion polymer battery. The case is available for the iPhone or iPod touch and comes in various chic colors as well as black or white.

Novothink has a free solar planner app that I just downloaded to my iPhone. It allows me to calculate the needed amount of sun exposure for the Novothink solar surge case based on my estimated minutes for Internet, phone or audio usage. The cool little app is worth checking out before purchasing the hybrid solar charger. I’m not much of a phone person so that my recommended sun exposure is approximately one hour to avoid running out of power. It’s a good excuse to spend an hour each day in the sun.

Greener Gadgets 2010: where art meets science

Like last year the Greener Gadgets conference 2010 here in NYC had an amazing line-up of speakers. I’ve always admired Yves Behar’s work at fuseproject. His opening speech mentioned that as designers we can put sexy back into green. This was underlined by his work for PACT organic underwear and the electric Mission One motorcycle. He introduced two new projects: a ‘hackable’ car for the developing world and a crystal chandelier powered by only one LED light that uses one crystal and one paper shade. The latter will debut at the Milan Furniture Fair in April.

Another session was entitled Gadget Talks and Tom Hadfield from LaboGroup explained the amazing concept behind the plant-based air purifier Andrea. It looks like a beautiful sculpture and it was no surprise that Tom mentioned that his French innovation company is dedicated to turn science into an art form. LaboGroup is associated with Le Laboratoire, the art and innovation center in Paris. Andrea is 1000 times more efficient at removing toxic gases from the air than plants alone. It’s based on a NASA design and purifies all those nasty VOCs which makes it perfect for stagnant areas in your home or office. The other highlight was the presentation by Leonardo Bonanni from MIT Media Lab for Sourcemap that’s a very cool tool for LCA and supply chain transparency. It’s open source and would for example tell you the carbon footprint you incurred to attend the Greener Gadgets conference. And then of course, don’t forget to offset it.

nature inspired water filtration design

On my annual trip to ABC Home & Planet before the holidays I saw the stylish OVOPUR by AQUAOVO that was part of a special display about sustainable living. The contemporary egg-shaped design stuck with me since every year I make the resolution to drink more water. And the sleek design of the OVOPUR water filtration unit gives water the central role in any eco-modern home or office that it deserves. After all the average human body is about 60–70% water and needs plenty of hydration.

AQUAOVO was founded in 2007 by brother-and-sister team Manuel and Noemie Desrochers in Montreal with the goal to keep plastic water bottles out of landfills. Taking some inspiration from nature the egg-shaped design combined with the thermal properties of porcelain allows the filtered water to move freely and naturally. This movement prevents stagnation and revitalizes the water. The actual filtration happens through the multilayer AQUACRISTAL filter cartridge that removes chemicals and organic pollutants through a 4-step filtration process. It’s reusable for 4 months and 100% recyclable. OVOPUR by AQUAOVA comes in white or black lead-free glazed porcelain as a limited edition. Either one holds 11 liters of water. I love that these eco-modern water filtration units are a stylish alternative to traditionally unattractive water coolers. Plus they make it easy to stick to my resolution in green style.

the perfect mix of solar and style

At the end of summer I usually try to catch every hour of sunlight and the eco-fabulous Noon Solar bags seem like a perfect accessory for that. I discovered them through the book “ecological design” published by TeNeues that’s a great resource for modern eco-friendly designs. In the past I’ve seen many backpacks or laptop bags with integrated solar panels so that I was really intrigued by the Solar Noon bags as a stylish alternative for eco-conscious women. They combine style, technology and eco-friendliness in a contemporary way. The Noon Solar bags look less like a gadget and more like a fashion accessory that happens to make a statement about the environment. The solar panels are strategically placed on the outside to charge a lithium-ion battery pack inside the bag.

My favorite bag is the Cortland made from chrome-free, naturally tanned and dyed, full-grain cowhide leather and sage colored organic hemp/cotton lining interior. It’s not only made of biodegradable materials except the solar panels and hardware but you can easily carry it from summer to fall. I like that the solar panels are on the back so that you can collect solar energy at the park and inside the windows of your office, car or home yet look eco-chic when carrying them. They are a great way to keep your cell phones and iPods powered in sustainable style.

a refreshing take on green design

We all know that it’s important to keep plastic bottles out of landfills through reusable water bottles. But what if you don’t like tap water as much like myself and prefer sparkling water or soda? I received a demonstration of SodaStream’s home soda makers at the Go Green Expo 2009 earlier this year and was surprised how much I liked the sparkling water. Even the sodas made with flavored syrup were really refreshing and not too sweet.

The average American consumes about 600 cans or bottles of soda and sparkling water each year according to SodaStream. In addition just think about the thousands of miles that your favorite bottle of imported sparkling water has to travel to reach you. A SodaStream home soda maker is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and to keep plastic bottles and cans out of landfills by turning tap water into sparkling water or soda within a few seconds. It uses no batteries or electricity since it operates on the power provided by its compressed gas carbonators. Once empty they are returned to the company to be cleaned, inspected, refilled and reused. The line of home soda makers includes the SodaStream Penguin that comes with two glass carafes and the Sodastream Pure made of high quality plastics and brushed stainless steel. Who says you can’t make your own designer water? Both designs are a great alternative to beat the summer heat in green style.

sustainable and sleek design

Even that I’m a hardcore Apple fan I felt really inspired by Dr. Albert Esser's talk about Dell’s green IT efforts at the Go Green Expo here in New York. I never thought about my energy consumption while surfing the web. But he mentioned that it takes more energy to watch YouTube than it does to watch TV. I was really shocked as a non-technical person, since I never considered all the data centers that are involved in getting me the video clips.

Dell thrives to become the greenest technology company on the planet and has been carbon neutral since 2008. Its global headquarter is powered by 100 percent green energy. Some of their latest green efforts include the introduction of their LED displays and their studio hybrid PCs. Dell’s studio hybrid PC is about 80% smaller than a regular Dell desktop and consumes up to 70% less energy. Not only does it leave a small carbon footprint, but it also has a lot of style. Its sleek and modern eco-design comes in many colors and even a bamboo premium sleeve. The ultra-compact design makes it perfect for small work and living room spaces. It can be set up vertically or horizontally and comes with Intel mobile technology performance. Its features include slot-load DVD, HDMI, and optional Blu-ray. All packaging is 95% recyclable and includes a system recycling kit. Now you can watch YouTube in green style.

more than a green gadget

Expecting to see the latest eco-friendly gadgets at the Greener Gadgets conference in New York last Friday I was pleasantly surprised to leave with a wealth of information about personal energy consumption instead. Dr. Saul Griffith gave a brilliant speech about his own energy consumption that you can view in more detail at inhabitat’s coverage. As a designer I loved when he mentioned, that “climate change is an aesthetic change.” Voltaic’s solar bags are one way to reduce energy consumption, which were given away during speeches. You can walk around in style while promoting clean energy. They come as backpacks or laptop bags and function as solar chargers for all handheld electronics.

The most powerful design is the Voltaic Generator. It looks like a laptop bag and is powerful enough to charge a laptop. In fact the solar panel generates up to 15 watts using 20% efficient cells, which is enough to charge the Voltaic battery in about 5 hours. I still love the simple Voltaic Converter that looks like a backpack. It only generates 4 watts of solar power, which is plenty for cell phones or i-pods. All bags use fabrics made from recycled PET. Inspired to take more responsibility for my energy consumption I added a few eco-chic tools to my sidebar that will allow you find out about yours.

green gadgets on the go

I’ve to admit that I’m a late adopter for new gadgets, but I finally decided to buy my long overdue Solio. The universal solar powered battery charger is a one stop charging solution for all handheld electronics ranging from cell phones and iPods, to digital cameras and GPS.

It’s a “hybrid” charger, since it can use the power from the sun or a traditional wall socket. A fully charged Solio Classic will charge a typical mobile phone more than twice. I love the simplicity of the fan-like design. You simply spread out the blades for maximum sun exposure. There are 3 Solio chargers to choose from based on battery capacity and design: the Solio Classic, Solio Hybrid 1000 and the Solio Magnesium. I like the stylish Solio Classic in silver. Its compact lightweight design makes it easy to put into my purse or backpack. It’s essential that I can use it anywhere, since I go to Germany quite a bit. Better Energy Systems is the UK based company behind this amazing gadget. BES also developed an eco-friendly case through tread made from the inner tubes of tires recycled in South America.