There are two reasons why they’re named that way: first of all, they’re all in earth tones or colors. Second of all, that’s because they’re made from stuff derived from the earth like coffee beans, cedar sawdust or cedar bark.

They might not look as attractive as the extremely colorful plastic LEGO blocks, but I think you could definitely teach a thing or two about using eco-friendly stuff to your kids with these blocks. That, and the fact that appearances are just appearances because you can pretty much do the same thing with Earth Blocks and plain LEGO bricks, creating whatever structure your mind can come up with.

Sure, it’s not like you typically throw out LEGO bricks, but there are bound to be by-products of manufacturing all that plastic, right? If you’re ready to go green with your bricks, you can get a set of 50 Earth Blocks over at the Guggenheim Store for $30(USD).

[via Dvice via Bit Rebels]

The innovation is a small gasoline fuel cell that would need to be only 10cm per side to generate the same power as the gasoline generator found under the hood of the Volt today. The small fuel cell would be able to use gasoline, diesel, or natural gas to create power to drive an electric system using batteries.

The key to small fuel cell breakthrough is that the researchers have been able to reduce the operating temperature of the fuel cell from 900°C to about 650°C. Their ultimate goal is to get them down to 350°C. That temperature reduction makes the fuel cell much cheaper to construct and easier to package and insulate safely in a car. In the future, extended range EVs like the Volt may be able to use this cell for much more efficient driving.

[via Technology Review]

The AirDrop works like a refrigerator or an air conditioner. But whereas water is just a byproduct in the other two devices, it’s the main output in this instance. An air turbine intake near the top of the device sucks air in, which is then cooled by the surrounding soil as it passes through the copper tubing to facilitate condensation.  The collected water is then pumped out through a semi-permeable hose to the roots of plants. The parts that need power – the turbine and the pump – get their juice from a battery, which in turn is charged by the solar panel on top of the device.

Here’s Gizmag’s interview with Linnacre:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Good man. Linnacre and his university were each awarded £10,000 (~$16,000 USD) for his invention. Linnacre, who invented the AirDrop as a potential aid to drought-stricken farmers, plans to use his winnings to further develop his device. I hope he succeeds. I also hope Apple doesn’t sue him.

[James Dyson Award via OhGizmo!, Gizmag & Fast Co. Design]

Lim calls his concept the EcoVinyl, a turntable made mostly of fiberboard, cork and aluminum. Lim chose high-density fiberboard “because of its ability to carry sound reverb.” It’s good looks don’t hurt either.

Lim reckons that the EcoVinyl could be sold for $350 (USD). Unfortunately Sennheiser hasn’t reckoned if they’ll turn the concept into an actual product. Check out Lim’s website if you want to see more of his work.

[via Fast Co.Design via NotCot via Dude Craft]

Scheduled to debut at this September’s Frankfurt Auto Show, the Ford EVOS is one hot ride, what with it’s GT-inspired lines and high-end touches like gullwing doors. But for us tech geeks, what’s under the hood (and inside it’s wire harnesses) matters just as much. Running on hybrid power, the EVOS is designed to not only be a performance ride, but to provide tons of features which take advantage of today’s connected world, going way beyond hands-free dialing and GPS navigation.

For instance, the EVOS could use environmental data to route you on the “healthiest” path, finding the cleanest air en route. Or, if you want to go for a zippy ride through the open road, the it could automatically adjust the cars suspension, braking and engine into performance mode, based on environment, weather, location, and your historical driving skills. Oh yeah, the music would switch from adult contemporary to aggressive rock to go with your hooning.

In addition to its driving-oriented technology, EVOS could even communicate with your home’s automation system, kicking it into energy-saving mode when you leave the house, then turning things back on when you pull into the driveway. The car can even provide seamless streaming audio from your car into your house when you enter.

Check out Ford’s overview of the EVOS technology concept:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Could she say “The CLOUD” one more time? It’s all pretty futuristic stuff, and Ford says this specific car will never be produced as shown – but every feature is firmly grounded in technologies available today, which is exactly what you want to see in a concept car, right?

[via Inside Line]

I think it’s a bad idea to cultivate such wasteful attitudes in children, especially when they’re still growing up. Not only that, but it would also be quite taxing on the environment because a lot of resources actually go into the whole manufacturing and disposal process, even for something as small as a wristwatch.

So the next time your kid asks for a new watch, think about getting them Sprout’s Biodegradable Watch. It’s not for boys, that’s for sure, because it features some pretty soft girly tones in the watch face and dial. Splashes of blue, pink, and green decorate Sprout’s timepiece. Even I want it – and I’m already in my early twenties.

The strap on this thing is actually manufactured from organic cotton. The case and buckle? That’s biodegradable corn resin. The watch also features a dial that’s made from bamboo and a mineral crystal lens completes the entire eco-friendliness of this thing. At $34 (USD), I think it’s well worth the money.

The Sprout Biodegradable Watch is available from Fred Flare, if you’re interested.

[via Coolest Gadgets]

The bike reminds me of one of the old Harley-Davidson motorcycles from the 50′s. The bike also has more than a little of the flavor of the old British bikes in it too. It looks like that seat might be hard on the butt though.

The bike has a 72V electric motor, and has battery packs under the wide bodywork that can zip the bike along at up to 75mph. The Orphiro motorcycle has a cruising distance of 60 miles on a charge. The bike is set to launch in September and the pricing is unknown, but I bet the Orphiro isn’t cheap.

[via Inhabitat]

As you may have gathered, its case is made out of recycled and recyclable materials. The vacuum cleaner is actually made out of the box it comes in. You have to pop panels into place around the motor housing, then you can use it. There is no glue required. This is kind of cool, because producing cardboard is a lot cheaper than plastic – and it’s better for the environment.

Vax is planning on doing a limited run of this vacuum cleaner. Then, if it sells well, we’ll see a bunch of them available. I wonder how this compares to my Dyson?

[via Gizmodo via Ubergizmo]

The 100 solar panels wired to the exterior of the handbag generate about 2 watts of power; not enough to charge tablets or smartphones, but Diffus is optimistic that they’ll be able to double or triple that in the near future as solar technology improves. One other neat touch that the handbag has is that it has fiber optic cables inside that light up when the bag is opened, providing illumination.

The handbag is expected to go on sale soon, although I don’t know for how much. It’s probably going to be expensive, but that’s always the case with groundbreaking products. The important thing is for designs like this to flourish to help make green products an everyday presence, not just limited to concepts or used in special conditions.

[via eCouterre via Geeky Gadgets]

The electronics component of Trash Amps are called Inserts. They’re designed to be easily removable so you can replace the recycled can or box “skins”. Inserts are powered by 3 AAA batteries and can last up to 20 hours on them. The third component of Trash Amps is the speaker grill, which can also be purchased separately.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can purchase Trash Amps here; can combo packs cost $50 (USD) while the box combo packs cost $55. As you may have guessed, the combo packs contain all three components – an insert, a grill and either a recycled can or box body. Grills can be bought separately for $3, while inserts cost $50. The idea of course is for you to make your own speakers and recycle more items.

[via PFSK]

Philips has announced that it has the world’s first direct replacement bulb for the venerable 75W incandescent. The LED version produces 1100 lumens of light and consumes only 17-watts. That makes it much more energy efficient. The Philips offering has a color temperature of 2700k and a rendering index of 80. I have no idea how that corresponds to a normal light bulb.

The part I really like about the LED bulb is that they are good for 25,000 hours (about 3 years constantly on) each. The part I really hate is that each one of these bulbs will cost you $40-$45 (USD). You will be able to pick this bulb up in stores in Q4 2011. Would you pay that much money for a light bulb?

[via Inhabitat]

One of the big downsides to the original bike and its light carbon-fiber design was that it made the bike cost over $3,000 (USD). Today a new version of the YikeBike has surfaced that is made from alloy and composite materials and will sell for under $2,000. Other than the material the Fusion version of the YikeBike is made from, the original and Fusion are the same.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The carbon fiber version weighs about 10.8kg and the alloy Fusion version is 14kg. That makes it notably heavier, but I think most folks will be fine with that considering it’s about $1,000 cheaper than the original. Either way, you will still look like a total nerd riding the YikeBike.

[via Stuff]

I have a friend who’s absolutely obsessed with following the latest trends and getting new releases of gadgets she already owns the moment they come out. She buys the new model when it comes out, uses it for a few months or so, then either sells, gives, or stows away the old model when a newer one comes out.

It’s a vicious cycle and it’s wasteful. Designers Da Deng, Chandra Baker, Chris Platt, and Jason Schuler probably understand and know a thing or two about these people when they came up with revOlve.

Their concept design for an all-new breed of mobile phones, revOlve, bagged first place at the 2010 International E-Waste Competition in the Designer Category, and it’s easy to see why.

revOlve wants to “break the cycle” of serial cellphone replacers by handing them a phone that is simply too genius to trade in for another one. Full specifications are unavailable of course, since this is really just a design, but it’s one that I’d love to see turned into reality.

revOlve can be easily disassembled, so each component can be upgraded, replaced, and recycled when necessary. The bottom part of the phone where you can see the loop (which is also convenient for hanging the phone on a keychain or belt or something) is equipped with an induction generator. So when you’re running low of juice, just give the revOlve a few (or a lot) of spins to re-charge the battery.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via Yanko Design]

I’ve been hearing a lot about green and clean energy for the past few years now, so it was only a matter of time before people got around to making these lamps, don’t you think?

As you can see, IKEA’s solar-powered lamps come in four colors: two basic ones (black and white) and two bright ones (cyan and apple green.) They come with 3 rechargeable batteries that store energy from the sun via the solar panel found at the top of the lamp.

To charge your lamp up for a maximum usage time of four hours, simply put the lamp under the heat (or, more appropriately) light of the sun for a good 9-12 hours. You’ll need around 15 hours on a cloudy day.

They aren’t available for purchase online though, so you might have to take a trip down to your local IKEA store to get one (or two).

[via Tech Fresh]

I think it sucks that animals have to pay for our human ways (and mistakes.) That said, the Eco Can is a much appreciated welcome change from all the usual polluting stuff that a lot of companies crank out these days.

The reusable Eco Can resembles those one or two aluminum ones that we guzzle every day to get our daily sugar fix, but without the added pollution: it’s made from PLA, which is a type of corn starch, so it’s also biodegradable to boot. It also features a screw top lid and a ring top style drinking lip so you can enjoy any drink the way you enjoy your regular can of soda. It’s also double-walled, so it keeps your drinks either cool or warm as you like them.

They’re available in four colors: black, red, blue, and green. Blue for water, green for grass, red for the flames for when you burn your waste, and black for the soot and remaining carbon remnants of your burnt up trash. Just sayin’. These Eco Cans are available for £12.99 (appx. $21 USD) each from Firebox.

[via Coolest Gadgets]

WeWood is based in LA, but hails from Florence, Italy. They’ve designed two collections of watches that are made out of natural woods. The wood used in the creation of these timepieces is free of artificial or toxic materials.

They’ve used red wing celtis, ebony, maple, and guaiaco, and watch movements are made by Miyota. The wood come from scrap flooring that’s left over, so it doesn’t get more sustainable than this. Plus, for every watch that is purchased, WeWood plants a new tree in collaboration with American Forests.

[via Designboom]

The VeloMini bike has a driving range of up to ten miles and it folds up small enough to be taken in the trunk of a car or inside a home or office without getting in the way.

The little bike is battery-powered and has a 180W electric motor inside. It can hit speeds up to 12mph with an average rider without having to pedal.

At $995 (USD), the little bike is expensive, but electric bikes – like the Ultra Motor A2B – can cost as much as $2700 and more.

The guys in the video describe the two-wheeled concept car as both “an enclosed Segway” and “the coolest vacuum cleaner I’ve ever seen.” I’d have to say both are completely accurate characterizations. Here’s the zero-emission eggcar in all it’s glory…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I honestly can’t believe they can fit two occupants inside this tiny little thing. Still, you’ve got to hand it to them for the unique touchscreen steering wheel. I thought that was pretty cool. For some reason, I doubt the EggCar will ever be street-legal in the States, but you never know. After all, they let the Renault Le Car and the Yugo out on the roads.

The bike has a 14.4kWh energy storage device and the electric motor makes 141hp. All that go is packed into a frame smaller than that of a 600cc sportbike. The bike uses a single speed transmission and can hit 160mph with that single gear.

The AC induction motor is liquid-cooled and has 115 ft. lbs of torque. The battery power of the bike is controlled by the MissionEVT 100kW motor controller with regenerative braking and more. The Mission R should hit the track in time for the 2011 race season.

A designer named Ben Guthrie has come up with a concept bio-diesel production device that hides all the wires and cables the process needs inside a slick looking cabinet. The concept has a door on the top that the user would pour raw ingredients into and then the system goes to work in an automated process to make fuel.

The byproduct from the process is glycerin that can be made into soap or thrown away. The only thing the concept would need to operate is an electrical source, material to make into fuel, and a water line.

[via Yanko Design]