Green Technology

Aside from the occasional outage, most Americans enjoy uninterrupted access to power and light. In other parts of the world, and even some parts of the US, the situation is not so bright. Globally, 1.5 billion people, one quarter of the world’s population, live without electricity, according to a United Nations report. Living without power Learn More

As technology improves, we’re happy to see that some product designers are focusing on a place that could stand a little improvement: the bathroom. We’ve already reported on the Kirei, a new-fangled Japanese toilet that boasts more functions than your iPhone, and now we bring you The Inizio Shower. This futuristic bathing device doesn’t just Learn More

Slipping and sliding on icy streets may become a charming memory of the past thanks to Solar Roadways, an Idaho-based company that is designing a solar-heated and powered parking lot. The group received a $750,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration to complete the project. They recently finished the first prototype, a 12’ x 12’ Learn More

CREE LED, a leading US LED lighting manufacturer, recently unveiled a new LED light bulb that meets the rigorous efficiency standards of the L Prize, a Department of Energy-sponsored contest. Though the company is not planning on releasing the bulb as a product for consumer purchase just yet, its capabilities are certainly encouraging for the Learn More

In the name of cool, renewable energy gadgets we bring you “Firewinder”, the LED Windlight, from ThinkGeek. This wind-powered LED lighting tool provides visual feedback directly related to the breezes blowing in its general vicinity—not to mention fun and effective outdoor lighting that doesn’t tap into the energy grid. The stronger the wind, the brighter Learn More

Kids are sponges for both fun and learning—so why not give them a toy that encourages both? The Calidu Rocking Horse, by German designer Günther Schunn, is a sturdy and beautifully-built stainless steel, oak and leather rocking horse that lights up with OLEDs (organic LED lights, typically employed mainly in TV screens, computer monitors and Learn More

You may have been surprised by the findings of a recently published UC Irvine study on the potential hazards of LEDs. Having reviewed the facts, we thought it was about time for us to shed some, ahem, light on the subject. The paper is entitled, “Potential Environmental Impacts of Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs): Metallic Resources, Toxicity, Learn More

Korean designers Gisung Han, Hwanju Jeon & Jaemin Lee have come up with a way to make crossing the street safer and more eco-friendly. Their “Wearable Signal Walking Sign” is a solar powered LED traffic signal that wraps around trees, lamp posts or poles and wirelessly communicates with traffic lights to display the correct “walk” Learn More

Indoor gardening just got a lot more accessible. Dutch scientists have figured out how to grow fruits and vegetables, including cucumbers, beans, corn, peppers, zucchini and raspberries, using only blue and red LED lights. It had been previously thought that only decorative plants could be grown in this way; fruit and vegetable-bearing plants require more Learn More

Now when you munch those late-night fries, you can rest easy knowing that you’re basking in eco-friendly LED lights. That’s because last week, Denny’s, the well-known chain of family-style restaurants, decided to make the switch to Cree LED lights in all of its new and remodeled stores across the nation. “We evaluated numerous LED light Learn More