Mavizen TTX02

Electric classes are the latest thing in motorcycle racing, and the TTX02 offers a turn-key package to get into the sport. Mavizen takes KTM’s RC8 frame and adds both a pair of electric motors and a pair of batteries mounted with a quick releases for easy replacement during pit stops. The controller uses Linux and WiFi, letting racers tune the bike track-side with off-the-shelf components. Although the top speed is only 130 mph, development at the famed Isle of Man lets the bike tackle road courses with ease.

The TTX02 only costs $38,000: That’s 50% less than an equivalent gas-powered race bike. Maintenance costs are also greatly reduced, making this one of the most affordable ways to get into road racing.

The Mavizen TTX02 Eco Bike

Image by sfslim

Vectrix VX-2

Vectrix’s large VX-1 electric scooter has found buyers ranging from hardcore treehuggers to the NYPD, but not everyone is willing to spend five figures on a road bike that can barely reach highway speeds. The long-awaited VX-2 solved this problem by moving the brand down-market. Despite being loaded down with lead acid batteries, the electric bike has the performance and usability of a 50cc scooter. A 40-50 mile range is plenty for the segment, and while charging takes about six hours, it can be done using a standard electric outlet. Retailing for around $4,300, the VX-2 is one of the cheapest ways to get into electric vehicles.

A Stunning Vectrix Concept Bike

Image by Sonietta46

Zero Motorcycles

Trail impact is a major issue for dirt riders, providing a niche for cycles that avoid the noise and pollution problems of traditional bikes. Zero is leads the way, offering range built on a single motor and chassis with different suspension setups to fit every type of riding from supermotard to motocross. The bikes can be charged using standard 110v and 220v outlets, making it easy to keep the bikes ready to ride no matter where they are. Price for Zero’s bikes are around $10,000.

Husqvarna E-go

Unlike the other bikes on this list, the E-go isn’t for sale, it’s just a prototype. Also, Husqvarna’s parent company, BMW, has been mum on the battery chemistry, range, power output, and possibility for production. So, what’s the big deal?

It looks really cool.

The front wheel is attached to a single sided fork, the lack of a gas tank or exhaust keeps the bodywork to a minimum, and the ribbed panel over the battery mimics an engine. Despite aiming for a supermotard-style that will appeal to European buyers, the E-go looks more like something from a science fiction film.

BMW has released one detail: The prototype weighs around 175 lbs. That’s about 100 less than a Zero. You can get great electric motorcyle insurance from specialist insurance companies so make sure you are ready to go and padded out and see you on the open road.

5 Business Apps to Go Green

Image  by okalkavan

1. PowWowNow - PowWowNow is a free conference call service that can not only help to reduce your business carbon foot print by reducing the need to travel to meeting, but can also help you to save time and money. After a short sign up process, for a conference call simply provide your conference members with a call in number and a private PIN number to access the call. The only costs associated with the service is that each participant will pay for the cost of their own call if charges apply. Also there is a small fee for international users to join in.

2. Avego – Ride to work sharing Avego offers a real time I-Phone App which allows you to save time, money and reduce your carbon foot print by offering to provide the empty seats in your car to other commuters or you can register to fill someone else’s empty space. Registering is free and easy and any payments are handled between drivers and riders.

3. Fuze Meeting is another iPhone app which can assist you in cutting your carbon foot print your carbon by using video conferencing. Parties can share information while using the iPhone. Fuze Meeting is also compatible with other phones including the Blackberry and Android. It saves money and lowers your carbon emissions.

4. Find Green works on the I-Phone and helps you to locate and work with other environmentally concerned businesses in your area that are trying to focus on green and eco-friendly products or business practices. The app will locate the green businesses nearest to you so that you can choose those your business would be compatible with and start communication with them.

5. Bump is an easy to use application for personal and business use that is compatible with I-Phone, Android, and Blackberry phones. It is an excellent tool for those with an interest in eco-friendly business practices.With Bump you can exchange contact information, photos, and documents with potential clients or other business associates who have the Bump application by simply bumping phones together after bringing up the wanted file. This app could potentially have a large impact on your carbon foot print by reducing the use of paper for business cards and small file printing.

It would seem there truly is an app for all occasions, and in a marketplace where Android occupies 25% of the market share (iPhone 17%) more and more Android users are looking for the perfect app.

Top 5 Green Android Apps

What about if you want an app with more backbone than the average game? You want to nourish your soul and feel good about the amount of time you are spending staring into the chasm which is your 4.3” TFT display. You aren’t it would seem alone.
More and more Android owners are using their handsets to aid them in more fulfilling pursuits. App designers have created a plethora of amazing and innovative applications to aid in all manner of environmental areas.

Image by sanchom

Here are our pick of the top 5 ‘green’ apps, which will hopefully help you reduce your carbon footprint and make it easier to do your little bit for the environment:

1. My Recycle List

A definite must for anyone who recycles. This application allows you to make a list of all the recycling points close to you or which you use and save them to a map. It will combine your list with those of others with the app installed to ensure you are never stuck with an empty egg carton and sixteen diet coke cans again. The app will break the recycling points down by type of items accepted; it will also give you the ability to contact each location to discuss the finer points of recycling. What’s more; it’s absolutely free!

My Recycle List Green Android App

2. Go Green

Even those most knowledgeable in all things ‘green’ can use prompting and advice from time to time; which is where Go Green can lend a helping hand. The app provides the user with a green tip every time the app is opened. You can decide whether to add the tip to your list, which forms a master document of awesome green advice. If anything the idea here is to keep the environment and how you can do your bit to preserve it as fresh as possible.

Go Green Android App

3. Carbon-Meter

Ever wondered how much CO2 you are saving by cycling to work or walking to the shops instead of taking the car? Well Carbon-Meter will tell you exactly that. The application tracks and records eco-friendly activities you participate in such as running, walking or cycling and assigns a CO2 saving figure to each. The more CO2 you save the better the reward coupons you are offered by participating retailers; now there is another reason not to get in that car!

Carbon-Meter Green Android App

4. Mobile banking

I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the majority of you have bank accounts. Which also means that a large number of you make unnecessary trips to the bank to withdraw cash or simply to check up on things; which wastes a lot of energy. Most banks have now launched mobile Android applications which allow you to complete the vast majority of daily tasks (including depositing cheques) from the comfort of wherever you decide to power up your handset. Find out if your bank has launched an app today; and if not, find one which has and seriously consider switching.

5. Eco Buzz Widget

Sometimes it is hard to keep track of everything which goes on in the world of environmentally friendliness; which is why Eco Buzz Widget was developed. Eco Buzz Widget pulls in ‘green’ news from around the globe and publishes it to your Android phone unobtrusively. Get the latest news from climate change & where to buy the coolest organic threads to which car has the least impact on the environment. It would seem that everything you need to know about green topics is covered by this application and widget.

Eco-Buzz Widget Green Android App

These green ideas have been brought to you by myphonedeals.co.uk, who are focused on giving you the best android phone 2011. If you live in the UK and need help deciding on the best HTC android phones look no further than My Phone Deals.

Our Warm White LED Light Bulb from LightInTheBox.com

We ordered and received our warm white LED light bulb from LightInTheBox.com an online store which has many choices for the eco conscious lighting enthusiast.

The Warm White LED Light Bulb

Looking at the warm white LED bulb up close you can see that it looks slightly different to a traditional LED bulb, the individual LED’s have a yellow dot in the center and the soldered joints can clearly be seen. This particular bulb is a 60 LED count warm white light LED which produces 240 lumens of light.

If we wanted to quantify the brightness of this bulb with a traditional incandescent then its 240 lumens would be roughly equivalent to a 30 Watt incandescent bulb or a 10 Watt CFL.

Here are the detailed specifications for the groovy warm white light LED bulb;

- Luminous Flux (Brightness): 240 Lumen

- Color Temperature: 3000-3500K warm white

- Connector: E27 standard (Screw in type)

- Rated voltage: 110V

- 60 super bright light emitting diodes (LEDs) inserted

- Dimensions: 2.48 in x 2.48 in x 2.2 in (6.3 cm x 6.3 cm x 5.6 cm)

- Weight: 2.82 oz (80 g)

Warm Light 60 Count LED Bulb Closeup

The bulb housing is a super reflective polished metal which makes it a nice finish if the bulb is being used where the housing is visible.

This particular bulb has the standard E27 screw in type fitting.

LED Light Bulb With Screw in Fitting

So How Does The Warm White LED Compare to CFLs?

We ran a quick comparison with a CFL light bulb, here we have a normal CFL fitted into our light test stand, here we see it switched off;

CFL Light Comparison Switched Off

By comparison when we fitted the 60-LED warm white light LED bulb into the test stand you can see how much space it saves, it has a very low profile and doesn’t take up anywhere near as much space as the CFL.

Warm White LED Bulb Switched Off

Here we see the CFL switched on, this particular bulb was equivalent to a 60W incandescent;

CFL Light Comparison Switched On

Here we see the 60-LED count bulb switched on, it produces a warm white light roughly equivalent  to a 30W incandescent bulb.

Warm White LED Bulb Switched On

SO…. To sum things up, we love our new warm white light LED bulb, we feel that its brightness of 240 lumen is perfect for a desk lamp or office light and we will be using it to light up our workspace for all our green blogging happy in the knowledge that our LED light is super efficient and energy saving!

For more information visit LightInTheBox.com;

All those are fun and obviously useful because they develop a great habit of turning useless stuff into something cool (maybe even if that’s pretty much useless in the end). They spur creativity and hopefully get families together (in making something and inspiring each other).

This post is about creating really awesome things out of computer parts and accessories (which get old so quickly and need to be recycled properly). This post is meant to promote sustainable living in all its beauty: you never throw away anything, you turn it for real good:

1. Recycle a CD Case into a Garden Cloche

So simple and smart! It works like a mini greenhouse by offering climate control to help get new seedlings off to a good start (don’t forget to bookmark this idea for when the sunny gardening days are back!)

Source: CD Case into Garden Cloche

2. An Old Keyboard into Seedling Starter

So you have a few old keyboards and you have no idea how to make use of them? Why not try use them to green your interior a bit?

Can we say now we have an eco-friendly keyboard?

Source: Greenery On Keyboard

3. An Old Computer Monitor into the Kitten’s Home

If you ever owned a cat, you know how much those creatures love to have a home. So why not make one using your old computer monitor? When beautified a bit, this can be turned into a really cute home actually:

Source: Recycle a Computer Monitor into a Cute Cat Bed

4. An Old Computer Board into an Aquarium

If you prefer fish, consider creating one of these really awesome-looking Computer aquariums! I am sure this would walk so relaxing and inspiring if you always have it on the table:

5. A Hard Drive into a Fun Clock

This clock is made using circuit boards from the hard drive and other various computer parts.
Clock dial is actual mirror-finished disk platter with gold colored raised numbers.

Yes, it might be hard to create one yourself: use this project to get inspired or if you really want to have one, buy it from Etsy user TecoArt:

6. Apple Keyboard into a Clock

Yet another awesome clock idea: the clock sports its original aqua blue, white and transparent finish and an “apple red” second hand.

Source: Apple iBook Blueberry Clamshell Laptop Keyboard recycled as Clock.

7. Recycled Circuit Boards into a Pencil Box

This funky pencil box could make a great present to your teen kid.

Source: Recycled circuit boards

8. Bird Feeder

What a great Winter present for your garden birds!

9. Old CDs into Fun Coasters

I am sure everyone has tons of old CDs at home. There are many great ideas to reuse them including CD Lamp and CD Photo Frame. And here’s another one: Recycled CD coasters!

Source: Recycled CD coasters

10. Computer Art!

Mixed paint and used computer disks on wood: beautiful picture which can decorate your interior!

Source: Just another phantasie

This is a guest post by Annie who represents Cheap Stingy Bargains, an awesome resource of Dell coupon codes.

Recycling Mobile Phones Keeps Them Out of the Landfill

So now we know why we should recycle and what benefit this will have but what about the phone itself? Before you recycle or sell your old mobile, you should make sure that all data and pictures etc has been deleted and removed from our old phone. Now if you are unsure on how to do this then just Google your make and model of phone along with ‘phone data removal’ and there are numerous guides and tools that will help you to easily remove the items from your form so it is back to ‘factory settings’.

Remember to Delete Personal Information

After this when your handset reaches a mobile phone recycling centre, the first step that the recyclers (such as Envirofone and Mazuma Mobile) do is to disassemble the basic components of the phone.  This usually comprises of the following parts, plastic, metals, casing (or housing) and memory. After this first stage the next step is to sort handsets, circuitboards, chargers, accessories and batteries into sorting bins for each of the components. As this is a recycling centre, even the boxes or packaging you send the phone in on will also be recycled!

The Nickel in the phone batteries are then processed and can be recycled into stainless steel with applications for home and industrial use. Recyclers can even extract the Cadmium and then make new batteries from the old ones. The Batteries also contain copper, which can also be recycled.

Mobile Phones Ready for Recycling

The circuit boards contain many precious metals such as silver and gold and lead and can be used in many different ways whilst preventing future mining operations from acquiring these metals from the earth and destroying habitat and wildlife.
The phone casings will also be recycled and used in a variety of ways such as plastic fencing around the home.
Now you know what happens to the mobile phones then why not consider recycling your old phone and help the environment as well as earning a bit of extra cash? For more information please visit recyclemobilephones.co.uk

RecycleMobilePhones.Co.Uk

Number 1: A Wonderful French Home with a Huge Solar Array;

images from http://www.flickr.com/photos/trebosc/

French Home Solar Install 1

The Solar Panels Being Installed

The Finished Installation

Number 2: A Small But Super Green Home in L.A.:

images from http://www.flickr.com/photos/clownfish/

Before the Solar Installation

Solar Install Completed - 100% Solar Energy!

Number 3: A Self Sufficient Log Cabin – Solar Powered:

images from http://www.flickr.com/photos/44244119@N08/

Log Cabin Solar Panels

Log Cabin Solar Panels - Off The Grid

Number 4: A Green Wedge Potton House:

This wooden timber construction home by Potton is green through and through

images from http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikehales/

Green Wedge Shaped Home with Solar Array

The Green Stripe is Very Fitting!

The Home Has a Solar Well for Extra Light

Number 5: Suburban Home With Solar Panels Cut to Fit:

Proof that solar panels can be designed into any roof line….

images from http://www.flickr.com/photos/silas216/

Solar Panels Cut to Fit

We hope you were inspired by our list of home solar installations, we tried to include different examples from normal homes to the more modern super eco designs.

Let’s all go solar!

Now that I own an e-reader, I started to wonder if it is eco-friendly to use one of these or better to buy the books. Here is what I found out…

The current book ordering system in the U.S. encourages bookstores to order more books than they could every really sell. This certainly increases the number of published copies but it also creates more returns. You not only have all the resources that go into producing the book, as in the printing , packaging , shipping and the paper (from trees), you also have the cost of shipping, gas and packaging to return it back to the publisher. For some Publishers, it isn’t worth the expense for the bookstores to return the books, so they have the store strip the covers and return only that for credit, they then throw away the rest of the book. That leaves about a third of the mass market paperbacks that are printed being dumped in a landfill without ever being read!

Amazons Kindle Electronic Book Reader

Here’s an excerpt from an article about reading on a computer vs. printing out an article to read it;

“The contrast is quite convincing, one-tenth of a pound of greenhouse gas emissions from reading the document on the computer, versus almost one-quarter of a pound of greenhouse gas emissions for printing it out!”

Another article lays out the environmental impact of reading a newspaper on a reader and reading the New York Times on an e-reader. Their conclusion;

“Reading the physical version of the NY Times for a year uses 7300 MJ of energy and emits 700 kg of CO2. Reading it on a Kindle uses 100 MJ energy and emits 10kg of CO2.”

Are e-book readers the perfect answer? No, There are problems with energy consumption, the raw materials used to make them and the best way to dispose of an old e-reader, but the technology to reduce the “carbon footprint” that e-readers leave on the environment is improving. They may soon be considered “carbon neutral”…

There are various e-readers for sale and I would recommend Amazon.com to compare prices;

For those who love the feel of the paper and the smell of a new book, e-readers may not be for you, but as time goes on, the e-reader will become a more eco-friendly way to read the printed word. What do you think?

My Solio Classic-i Solar Charger Battery

The Solio Classic-i has an internal Lithium Ion 1650 mAh battery which can hold a charge for up to 1 year. It has three solar panels which fold out into a three blade design.

The Solio Expands with Three Solar Panels

I’m always conscious of how much packaging comes with a green gadget and the Solio gets eco points for using minimal packaging with a “PaperFoam” molded packaging inside which is made entirely from recycled paper instead of Styrofoam.

The Packaging Uses "PaperFoam" Recycled Paper

The Solio solar charger can be recharged by simply expanding the three solar panels and placing it in direct sunlight. A simple pencil can be used to prop the charger up and face it towards the a light source;

The Solio Propped Up Using a Pen or Pencil

The Solio Classic-i has a charging cord which uses various adapters, I bought one which connects the Solio to my iPod and iPhone so that I can keep them charged up using renewable energy. I plan to charge my iPod and iPhone all year using the Solio.

Check out our Solio Classic-i review video below to see how the Solio works;