GREENERATOR, THE RESIDENTIAL GREEN ENERGY GENERATOR.

A practical, discrete and ecological design by Jonathan Globerson.

The industrial designer Jonathan Globerson has created a low-cost solar/ wind power energy generator prototype.

Baptized as Greenerator, it can produce enough energy for a daily domestic consumption one TV, one fridge, two laptops, one desktop, a hi-fi system and four 40W lamp bulbs.

The design is based on a wind power turbine in a vertical shaft, hanging from a structure of flexible solar panels that work as a support, and it's been designed to be able to be put up on the terrace of your house or even on your windowsill.

Greenarator allows the possibility for each home to be able to generate its own energy without needing to share communal solar panels or wind power turbines. Another advantage of this prototype is its dismantling-assembly for dummies design that will allow you to save the cost of a technical installation service.

According to the designer, each Greenerator can reduce the electricity bills a minimum of 6% and it can help to save one ton of CO2 emissions per year per home.

http://www.jonglob.com/industrialdesignportfolio.html#64

Here you can find drafts, pictures and even a video about Greenerator.

Sources:

http://www.jonglob.com/index.html

http://www.cookingideas.es/

http://inhabitat.com/

Bea

I love this Cushy, Beautiful and Sustainable-Made Moccasins

Eco is not equal to ugly! And if you don't trust me, just check out this hand made moccasins....

According to its website, MANIMAL was formed in 2004 after a native New Englander’s first visit to the American Southwest. Designer Kristen Lombardi's interest in traditional costumes and animal forms influence the design of each moccasin and accessory. All the pieces are handmade and in an attempt to best use precious materials, leather scraps are recycled and reworked.

Aren't they Nice?? Now that winter is coming, these Moccasins seem so warm, comfortable and cute...The perfect match for a winter look. In case u like them, I suggest you to visit Manimal's online shop and let temptation win... http://save-the-manimals.com/

Guio

Flabbergasted by Jeremy Mayer's Art Work

Via Inhabitat ( http://inhabitat.com ) I’ve discovered the astonishing Typewriter Reasembly art work created by Jeremy Mayer...

Not only the appearance of the sculptures, but also their souls are futuristic. During the creation of the sculptures, the artist reassembled the different pieces of old typewriters so “I don't have to buy anything or use anything that doesn't come from a typewriter. “

And finally, the best of all! We had the opportunity and the immense pleasure of asking a few questions to the artist. So now it is time for me to shut up and let you enjoy the interview.

Q. You said you are interested in science fiction; do you think that future will be green or that's science fiction?

A. There are people who will mass-produce "green" products for profit, and people who will put newly available technologies to work in creating more energy with less waste. People are thinking differently, and I think it's a good start, but from my experience, I think I would suggest to people to stick to the small things that they can do at home, but don't assume that "green" corporations or products are going to save the world.

Q. Could you say art/sculpture through recycling is kind of a new trend among the artist community?

A. It's not new at all, though it wouldn't have been called recycling. Dada, the Surrealists, the Nouveaux Realistes, and the Arte Povera movement all used discarded or found items as a means of eschewing what they thought were the dispassionate and sterile ideals of "high art".

I'm sure if you dug deeply that you could find many examples of creative reuse throughout human history. Much of the time it had to do with the value of the raw material. Now value has to do with the novelty or aesthetic of the raw material, and the value of novelty is very interesting to me. I like the idea that I can make something that would be really difficult to 3D print.

Relating specifically to typewriters, there are a quite a few artists in the past who used their parts for art. Robert Klippel, Esphyr Slobodkina, Raoul Hausmann, Jean Tinguely, and Ed Rusha are the first names that come to mind. There are many more.

The idea of recycling is an old one, but it's importance is much more urgent than it's ever been.

Q. I was wondering, is there a message behind the fact that you transform what's originally biological into something mechanical? Could it traduce your vision of future?

A. When we designed the typewriter, we put ourselves into it. The desire I have to take them apart and reassemble them comes from this fascination in finding subtle curves and forms that I find seductive or beautiful in a human or an animal form. The future of this kind of art is that it will develop into a sort of traditional style of art, or more specifically, craft. I don't feel like I'm doing anything "futuristic" at all.

The future I see will have a lot of "stuff", but the mechanical processes making it all work will be invisible to most of us. People will always have some nostalgia for visible mechanical processes, especially now that the machines and gadgets we use have processes and functions that are essentially invisible to the untrained eye, and run on electrons darting here and there as opposed to the gross mechanical processes we've been accustomed to for the last few thousand years. I think that what

I do is a sort of homage to the ingenuity of the people who did the work of designing typewriters, and my way of recognizing the hundreds of thousands of man hours and trial and error involved in the more than 100-year design cycle of the typewriter. It's also a way of saying that we'll disassemble our machines and repurpose them in much the same way we'll have to disassemble our collective knowledge as people and reassemble it to fit in a changing world.

Q. Recycled sculptures are part of a sustainable commitment or just the result of a typewriter interest?

A. My very first interest in taking apart that very first typewriter in 1994 was about my fascination with the typewriter as a machine. After taking a few apart, I realized that I could use just typewriters and nothing else- all I needed were tools to take them apart and reassemble them. I don't have to buy anything or use anything that doesn't come from a typewriter.

As a 20-something in the 90's, that was very appealing to me as a practice of recycling, since no one was using typewriters, nor were they valuable yet. Now I've shifted my thinking about this a bit as the popularity of typewriters has recently surged because of this nostalgia that I spoke of (often borrowed) for visible mechanical processes.

Now the typewriter has a use again in the technological world, even if for affectation, and continues to be very useful in many countries all over the globe. I'm thinking now about my participation in disassembling the past willingly, even giddily, as a metaphor that speaks of the dire need for a dialog about our transition into the future. It's quite obvious that we have some sticking points in that many people will simply not be participating in that transition.

They will hold on to these things that give them comfort. What does it do to them to see it systematically and willfully destroyed or repurposed? How will they resist it? How futile is that resistance? I feel like there is a statement in what I'm doing that's in line with what I just said, but a lot of it is hindsight. First and foremost, the process of making us out of something we made without introducing more waste is really interesting to me.

For more information about the artist, visit http://jeremymayer.com

Guio

Will Google meet a sea of opportunities?

Did you know that a Google Search consumes the power equivalent to that needed to prepare a cup of tea in a microwave oven?

At a meeting in Washington I had the opportunity to meet the vicepresident of Google, a fascinating individual, and learned that the highest component of the costs of operating Google is the energy required to supply and mantain temperature conditions adequate for the servers. Indeed, he told me that a Google Search consumes the power equivalent to that needed to prepare a cup of tea in a microwave oven. I was fsaberglaster!

This piece of information may help you make sense of recent news that Google is to invest heavily on off-shore aeolian power (e.g http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20101012/APF/1010121217). Moreover, in case you missed it the interest of Google on marine energy is not new as last year Google a patented a design of a barge loaded with servers to be morred in coastal waters with the servers to be powered with wave energy (two large antena-like rotating drums that generate energy from the motion induced by wave action upon them).

Google’s interest in reducing their carbon footprint is quite positive, as it also help us reduce our footprint when we hit the “Google search” button. Moreover, the drive that Google can give to the development of marine energy may bring about a new untapped resource to mitigate climate change. Marine energy abounds in the ocean: from the wind moving over the ocean surface, from the waves it generates, from the huge tidal fluxes induced by gravitational forces on planet Earth (tidal range reaches 17 m in Ungava Bay, Quebec, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ungava_Bay), and the thermal and chemical gradients in ocean waters.

The ocean is a unique resource, that sets Planet Earth appart from the over 400 planets known to date. Yet, we ignore this blue jewel, which we have explored less than we have explored the surface of Mars. Turn your eyes and your intelect to the ocean, and meet a sea of opportunities. Next time you make a search in Google you may well be powered by ocean waves and wind!

Carlos M. Duarte

About
Carlos received his Biology Ph.D in 1987 from McGill University and became a Research Professor Spanish Research Council (CSIC). President of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, and Director of Global Change Research at CSIC, in 2008 Carlos receiveds the Spanish National Science Award and in 2010 was honoured with an Honorary Doctorate from UQAM, Montreal.

FORWARD THINKING THIEVES

Thieves is a Canadian environmentally-friendly fashion brand founded in 2006 by Sonja den Elzen. A little bit about its philosophy? “Sonja den Elzen conceptualizes her creations through unifying sustainable fabrics, organic textures, collaborative graphics, and sculpting these elements around the form of the human body.”

Their Fall-Winter collection is dark, modern and with a little futuristic touch that I love. U can see more at http://www.thieves.ca/small.html

Even though Thieves is Toronto based, it's possible to find its designs in many places, such as Montreal (4 Elements at 4326 ST- Denis).

But for those who prefer to do first some online window shopping, visit http://www.thievesboutique.com/ , where you could have a look at its online boutique. I especially liked the 5 in 1 dress, which is very nice and it’s a smart investment (http://www.thievesboutique.com/Thieves-Clothing-5-in-1-Dress-58.html )

Guio

10/10/10: All over the world vents to solve climate crisis

350.org is an international campaign that's building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis--the solutions that science and justice demand. ( http://www.350.org/en )

On October 10th, millions of people across the globe are getting to work solving the climate crisis as part of a Global Work Party. There are now more than 7,000 events in 183 countries.

10/10/10 is the date when events all over the world will take place with one common goal: Solve the climate crisis. For finding out which events will take place at your city:http://www.350.org/en/map

This is an example of the ones that´ll take place in Montreal!

PEDAL POWER!!!

I know winter is coming and it's not the perfect timing for bicycle talking... But I found it very interesting and better weather will come back anyway! For all cycling lovers, and for those that are just tempted by the possibility of cycling as a transportation way; CBC has a very interesting documentary talking about it.

"Pedal Power investigates the conflict between bikes and cars." Bicycles thefts, the critical mass, Velib, Bixi and a travel around cities like Amsterdam, NY, Montreal, Toronto or Paris with their different ways to deal with this way of transportation.

For watching online the Documentary: http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/Doc_Zone/ID=1275907713

PS: Strongly recommended to coach potatoes or car drivers ;)

SIMPLE GREEN SHIPPING

EBay via it’s Green Team is proposing a long-lasting box designed to be used again, and again, and again… The final aim is to make people aware of the importance of recycling as to help the environment while having fun.

According to Ebay´s Green Team; by using this box a minimum of 5 times, we’ll be helping to protect around 4.000 trees, save 2,4 millions of gallons of water, and helping to conserve enough energy to feed 49 “homes” during a complete year.

Moreover, those boxes have blank spaces created for users to write a personal message for the next person on the “chain” of utilisation of the box; creating with this initiative an unique box design.



All EBay boxes are 100% recyclables, made of cardboard with non FSC; which means that we won’t have to worry about the end of the box´s useful life.

This new initiative will start in October and it’s an easy, ecological and smart idea that will help maritime transportation become a little bit greener.