The tall skyscraper isn’t exactly just a forest. Rather, it houses luxury apartments which will each have a huge balcony that will hold around 900 small trees and plant species. The plans indicate that the plans will cover a total space of approximately 10,000 square meters.

The main benefit of having a truly green apartment is (you guessed it!) cleaner living. The plants can help filter out pollution, take in carbon dioxide and give you fresher O2-filled air, reduce noise pollution, improve your micro-climate, and shield you from the sun’s hot rays as well. (Spend less on air-conditioning, but spend more on lights. I think it’s a fair trade off.)

[via Pop Up City]

However, the idea of putting your device under the heat of the sweltering sun isn’t very appealing because it might overheat and end up getting fried if you don’t pay attention. A pretty neat solution for taking advantage of solar energy without being out in the elements? The XDModo Solar Charger.

Basically, the charger “catches” solar energy through the window where it’s stuck on, and uses this energy to charge up your device, while it sits safely in an indoor environment, such as an office or even in your car. Of course, there’s no reason you can’t just flip it over and use it outdoors if you want too.

The XDModo charger comes with regular and micro USB outputs, and stores power in its 1400mAh rechargeable lithium battery – which should be good for about a full charge of today’s smartphones. It’s available for purchase online from Design3000 shop for €49.95 (~$66 USD.)

[via The Green Head]

So if you’re the type who’s always buying new phones and updating your devices, then it’s time you head to the ecoATM nearest you to start recycling your old gadgets.

Not only will you be doing good old Mother Nature a favor here by recycling old stuff that you might no longer need or use, but you’ll also get some quick cash in return.

The ecoATM is an automated gadget recycler with a touchscreen and a metal tray below where you’re supposed to put your smartphone, MP3 player, or other device to be recycled.

The ecoATM then uses its camera to determine what kind of device you’re recycling by comparing it to its database that’s been inputted with over 4,000 different gadgets. It will then ask you to plug your device in so it can check if it still works or not. When it’s done with its analysis, it then displays a quote for your gadget, which you can either accept or reject.

If you accept its offer, the ecoATM then dispenses cash in return for your device. The ecoATM already has some machines up and running in California, while more will be rolled out across the country gradually.

[via Daily Mail]

Electricity is one of the things that everyone can consume less of to help the environment. A lot of people aren’t aware of it, but leaving appliances and electronics plugged into chargers even when they’re already fully charged is a huge energy waster. Concept designs like the Eco-Socket and the PumPing Tap Concept all work with the concept of stopping the flow of energy once the device is fully charged or when it’s not used, respectively.

If you’ve ever wished for at least one of those concepts to become a reality, then your wish has already been granted with Bracketron’s GreenZero Chargers. Your wall sockets remain unchanged, because all the green stuff happens in their smart and eco-friendly chargers.

Their series of GreenZero chargers automatically shuts off at zero idle power when your device is fully charged. There’s one specifically for Apple devices, one with a micro USB wire, and two that have a USB slot so you charge any USB-powered device. The chargers will be priced from $24.95 to $34.95 (USD) and will be unveiled at CES next week.

[via Oh Gizmo!]

That’s what designer Nick Burrows observed at his office too, which was why he came up with the concept for the Twist.

The Twist a reusable lunch bag that’s made from silicone and stiff aluminum wire. It’s microwaveable, so you can just pop the entire thing in the oven to heat up your food. Once you’re done, just wash it out and use it again tomorrow.

But most importantly, it’s reusable so that’s a whole lot of plastic bags not being added to the world’s land fills every day. It’s a simple design with a simple manufacturing process, which could make a meaningful difference in keeping our world green.

[via Yanko Design]

So it’s extremely refreshing to see concept designs like the Tulipa, which is a wind-powered street lamp that lights up the streets at night without need to be connected to the grid. It’s built with a wind turbine, transformer, and generator that takes wind energy and coverts it into electricity, which is then stored in the battery.

The day-night sensor detects once the sun has set below the horizon, and the LED light then illuminates. The Tulipa, designed by Mebrure Oral, almost looks too pretty to be a streetlamp, and is certainly more interesting that the solar lamps already in use in some places today. All I can say is, I never expect something green to actually look so good. (No alternate meanings intended.)

[via Yanko Design]

You can use the Dialug to schedule or set when you want power to flow through. But for everything else, there’s the Eco-Socket.

I honestly prefer the Eco-Socket over the other concept design because it’s more intuitive than a timer. The Eco-Socket automatically pops out and cuts power when it detects that a dip in energy consumption of a device that’s plugged in. It’s the more convenient option because there’s no need to time anything or keep monitoring it.

And when you need to power your device again, just push the plug right back in again. The Eco-Socket was designed by Ya-Hui Chi and is an entry for the 2011 Lite-On Award.

[via Yanko Design]

That same problem must have led industrial designer Rafael Rozenkranz to create this. It’s a kinetic power suit that uses your every move, literally, to power up and charge your music player. It’s more for jogging rather than for workouts of at the gym, but I don’t really see why it couldn’t be used for the latter, either.

The suit is sewn from Lycra with a kinetic motor installed somewhere on the suit. No specific technical specifications yet, so it’s more or less still a concept design from Rozenkranz. For those who love a pop of color, the suit is also available in red.

But this one will probably get more stares than most men are comfortable with. You can check out the video below for more on the kinetic power suit:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via Fashioning Tech via Dvice]

The scientists and researchers at Tulane’s Department of Cell and Molecular Biology are well aware of this fact, which is why they’ve been working on using a specific strain of bacteria that feeds on organic materials, such as old newspapers, in order to produce biofuel.

The team of researchers, comprised of associate professor David Mullin, postdoctoral fellow Harshad Velankar, and undergraduate student Hailee Rask, have discovered a strain of bacteria they dubbed as “TU-103″ that can feed on paper wastes to produce butanol. The bacteria was first found in animal droppings and was cultivated so that it could be used for butanol production.

Velankar explains, “Cellulose is found in all green plants, and is the most abundant organic material on earth, and converting it into butanol is the dream of many.” And achieve that dream is what these scientists have been able to do. He also adds: “In the United States alone, at least 323 million tons of cellulosic materials that could be used to produce butanol are thrown out each year.”

The team conducted their experiments using old editions of The Times Picayune, New Orleans’ daily newspaper. The patent for the process that they have developed for biofuel production is currently pending.

[via Physorg via Dvice]

That’s where Print A Forest comes in.

So how does it work? Well, first you need to download a piece of software so you can start “printing forests.” Each document that you will print via the program will include a small sponsored ad at the bottom of each page you print. Print 100 pages, and you will have donated enough money to plant a tree. How about that?

The problem is, of course, on people’s willingness to have ads printed on their documents. It’s one thing to click on ads on a certain site to donate a few grains (or was it cups?) of rice to impoverished people in need (now that I think about it, were those sites for real? Or were they just scam sites to get people to click on ads?), but it’s another to have ads printed right on your documents.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

If you don’t mind and want to get in on the green movement, learn more about Print A Forest, or get the program, head on over to their site to get started.

[via PSFK via Oh Gizmo!]

The manufacture of hundreds of millions (or even billions) of wooden pencils all over the world also results to the cutting down of a whole lot of trees.

For these two problems, there is but one very simple solution: the Eraser Pencil.

It’s the pencil that lets nothing go to waste. There’s no wood to shave off, no metal components to hold the eraser at the pencil’s other end. That’s because, instead of wood, this pencil is made up of (you guessed it!) eraser.

Sure, you might end up with eraser shavings instead of wood pencil shavings, but if you’re the conscientious recycler, then you can just melt it up over a flame and form another eraser with the shavings instead.

This is still a concept though, designed by Deuk Young Lee. The pencil has been around for ages, and it’s refreshing to see someone still come up with such a concept that’s not exactly new, but still novel at the same time.

[via Oh Gizmo!]

Designers Kukil Han, Daehyun Kim, Bojoong Kim and Jihwan Yun came up with this really neat design that they call the Bike Guide Concept. Basically, visitors and tourists can rent out one of the bicycles to a pre-selected destination that the bus will take them to.

Once dropped off, you can bike away in the woods or in the trail that you’ve chosen before going back to the designated bus stop to go back home. Each bike would be equipped with an advanced navigation system to make sure that you don’t get lost along the way.

Not only is it a unique and totally new way to discover a new city or place, but it’s also eco-friendly because of the bike factor, and the single vehicle to transport riders. Make the bike guide bus a hybrid or electric car and the whole concept could be executed with no emissions.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via Yanko Design]

The Flower Grenade’ were designed by Suck UK to introduce vegetation in derelict urban spaces. They are completely biodegradable seed bombs, and come packed with soil and various seeds, including Buttercups, Ryegrass and Poppies. They won’t make a big bang when they land, but a few weeks later, there will be some flowers left in their wake. The flowers will take at least 3 weeks to grow, while the Ryegrass will pop out after only a week.

The clay will completely dissolve in the rain, so there won’t be any evidence left of your actions after a few days. It’s the perfect way to beautify some ugly backyards that have been bugging you for a while.

You can get a pack of three Flower Grenades from the Suck UK site for £12 (~$20  USD).

[via GeekAlerts]

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]

Designers Sang Min Yu and Wong Sang Lee know how you feel, which is why they came up with the SavePaste Toothpaste Tube to help you get all that toothpaste out, minus the trouble.

My mom, who’s ever the recycler, hates seeing toothpaste go to waste, so what she does is cut up the tube in half right down the middle to scrape out the remaining toothpaste. Unfortunately, sometimes she ends up cutting more than just the tube and she’s walked away with a couple of mean cuts.

SavePaste will probably put an end to all of that, I’m sure. But more than that, the materials it makes use of are similar to the one that houses ready-to-drink milk drinks, which is more environmental-friendly compared to the metal-foiled plastic tubes that are in use nowadays.

It’s still a concept design for now, but it’s a pretty unique one at that. It also sets out to solve a pretty common problem that I’m sure a lot of people all over the world encounter at least a few times in their life.

Who knows? Maybe we might be seeing our toothpaste in new packaging soon.

[via Yanko Design]

One thing that annoys me a lot when I’m out, however, is when I see plastic bags and beer cans and all sorts of other trash just wash up on the shore.

Maybe these guys saw the same thing and decided that they should do something about it. And do something they did with this surf board that’s made out of 72 beer cans, some polyurethane, and a whole lot of epoxy.

The board is a collaboration between artist Rich Morrison and surfboard maker Gary Seagraves in Morrison’s Enviro Surf Art series. The 6’2″ surfboard features a rocket fish design with twin fins and a swallow tail. Morrison says that the beer cans were collected from a local bar in his neighborhood.

I wish I can give it a go or two on that surfboard. Even though I’ll probably still fall off or flip over, at least I can say that I once surfed on a board of beer cans–and that it was good.

[via Treehugger via Dvice]

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]

Inside the green box, that whacking motion generates electricity that can be used to power up your gadgets like your phone or camera while you ride. I bet you get a cool motorcycle sound effect too as the thing goes around.

I wonder how well the charger would work. It’s been my experience that most devices that try to charge a battery or device with power harvested from motion do a bad job of it. I have a flashlight you shake for power. Apparently, for every one minute you shake it you get one second of light.

[via Yanko Design]

A group of design types going by The Way We See The World have designed a cup made from Jell-O for the annual Jell-O Mold Contest held in Brooklyn, New York. The design looks like those plastic cups we always use at picnics.

The main difference is that these cups are made from Jell-O and when you are done drinking from it, you can eat it. I’m not sure you would want to eat the cups though. The flavors are lemon-basil, ginger-mint, and rosemary-beet. I guess the flavor could have been worse, at least they didn’t choose lime Jell-O.

[via Treehugger]

The catch is that there isn’t typically a source of hydrogen that we can use to refill the fuel cell and we end up having to buy expensive replacement cartridges from the maker of most fuel cell chargers. A new device called the HydroFill has surfaced on pre-order for $499.99 (USD) and it will ship on August 9.

The device plugs into your wall outlet or can be hooked to an optional solar panel. The HydroFill uses water to create hydrogen and then puts that hydrogen into the $9.99 HydroStik container for use inside the $99.99 MiniPak fuel cell charger. This is certainly not cheap but if you are the outdoorsy type or are seriously green, this might be a great thing.