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roundups
EcoModo - The Best of TreeHugger
Solar cells using "nanopillars" could drop solar costs by 10x, Microsoft launches Hohm dashboard for you to beta test, Greenpeace tells us the greenest gadget companies, and the gag-worthy Solar Vest embodies geeky ugly. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
TreeHugger explores just what goes in to automating your house for Twitter, the practicality of solar powered lighting, if iRobot is serious about e-cycling, and how home water makers work and which models are best. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
NYC starts counting carbon emissions with a giant billboard, LED lights are getting fancy with color-changing bulbs, Android mobile phones go solar powered, and the competition for the .eco TLD gets hotter. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
How much e-waste is the switch to digital creating? Just how do you make your own wind turbine? Will consumer electronics ever become obsolete? How might smart power outlets save lives? Your burning questions answered! More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of TreeHugger
Lasers zap incandescent blubs to make them greener, putting solar panels on roll-up steel sheets a mile long, peering at penguin poop from space, and if trees produced products, they'd do it like this. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
SolarMagic gives hope to homeowners with less-than-perfect roofs for solar panels, a sensor lets plants text farmers for water, pee-to-water converters are gaining popularity, and the GoBe solar charger is shown off at Maker Faire. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
LEDs are prettier with quantum dots, Gotwind goes human powered for mobile gadget charging, furniture that charges your gear wirelessly, and an iPhone app that makes recycling easy peasy. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of TreeHugger
Cuttlefish hold the secret to energy efficient TVs, Indiana hops on board with major e-waste regulations, hand-cranked flashlights get hacked into battery chargers, and seedbombs scatter the earth with trees instead of terror. More » -
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roundups
EcoModo - The Best of TreeHugger
Everything you need to know about electornics recycling gathered in one place, a solar-powered bench for ever-ready wifi, a cool solar array shows off new tech, and energy efficiency overlaps with virtual gaming. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of TreeHugger
The EcoView LCD monitor can detect when you leave the room and put itself to sleep, your GPS navigation system could help you save gas, and Google finally gets a patent for floating datacenters. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of TreeHugger
Nikon releases some pretty cool 'Ecobins' binoculars, a new device might help PCs talk in their sleep to save energy, and TrickleStar adds a switch to its TrickleSwitch to fight vampire power. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of TreeHugger
Remixing that scene from Der Untergang is a whole genre into itself now. Here's one we found about Hitler's Tesla electric car. The Führer is mighty pissed. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of TreeHugger
Okay, that's just weird. NEC created a game where you are a dung beetle rolling up a ball of... carbon. It's a way to calculate your environmental impact. We think this needs more work. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of TreeHugger
7 concept green gadgets that we'd like to see brought to market, a video of the first test-drive of the Tesla Model S, and the Power of One (Xof1) solar-car breaks a world distance record. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of TreeHugger
MIT students build a solar racer that reaches 90 MPH on nothing but sun. Energy Star guidelines for enterprise servers are coming May 1st. And RFID chips are used everywhere, even tofight cacti theft. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: MIT researchers have made a new proton membrane that boosts the efficiency of methanol fuel cells by more than 50%. That has big implications for portable electronics. A photo of the new "Model S" electric sedan by Tesla Motors has surface. Not 100% official yet, but probably what it will look like. Finally, Epson has a new LCD display technology that is easier to see in bright light and uses less power. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: A nice little touch in the EPEAT Gold certified Apple Macbook and Macbook Pros: The Energy Saver icon has changed. Google has a message for other data center operators: Raise the thermostat. And finally, something you don't see everyday: Girls in bikinis swimming with tigers. Apparently the big cats love to play in a pool. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: Modern food production can already by pretty high-tech, but researchers at the Iowa State University might bring agriculture into the 21st century information age. They have created wireless sensors that can be buried underground in a grid pattern to give farmers information about soil (water, nutrients, etc). The Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) has more than 660,000 active users, only the Internet is larger. It has around 50 classified and unclassified server farms, for a total of thousands of servers, and it has decided to slash energy usage. and finally, free-piston engines could potentially replace traditional gas engines and be much more efficient. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: We have a look at how to make inexpensive DIY home-made solar panels using damaged solar cells bought on eBay. Apparently the Toyota iQ microcar is of museum quality: The London Royal College of Art is showing the iQ as an example of good design for urban living. Jay Leno has a chat with the creator of the Zero X 100% electric dirt bike (powered by a lithium-ion battery that can store more power than the batteries of a Prius). Finally, say hello to my little friends! Living bacteria can be used as biosensors to detect pollution. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: A nanotech breakthough could help increase the power output and storage capacity of ultracapacitors. Bike vs. Bear: A cyclist in Montana hits a bear while biking at 25 mph. The bear wasn't exactly happy about it. Fisker raises $65 million to help produce its Karma plug-in hybrid sports car. And finally, Intel launched its first Xeon CPUs that are 100% halogen-free, making them less toxic. More » -
roundups
Ecomodo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: Sports car maker Lotus built a "Concept Ice Vehicle" for a trans-antarctic scientific expedition. It's kind of like a cross between a skidoo and an ultralight plane. This one is just kind "What the...?": A reader sent us photos of a Hägglunds Bandvagn truck (?!?) with the TreeHugger logo on it. We admit it's pretty badass. Nicole Kuepper, a 23 years old PhD student, might have just found a way to make solar cells using things like pizza ovens, nails polish and inkjet printers. Finally, Intel's next CPU, Nehalem (or i7 now) will include a 1 million transistors (as much as a 486) PCU dedicated to power management. Researchers taking part in the Moon-Regan expedition have a new very cool toy. The biofuel-powered Concept Ice Vehicle (CIV), made by Lotus, will be used to cross the coldest contintent, Antarctica, to raise awareness about "how Antarctica’s fate affects the whole environment." Live feeds and results from scientific experiments will be available on the web and used in classrooms around the world. The processes developed by Nicole Kuepper for the iJET solar cell don't require the very expensive clean rooms and high-temperature ovens of traditional solar panel manufacturing plants, but rather pizza ovens, nail polish and inkjet printers, making them accessible to developing countries. Intel has announced at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) that i7 a.k.a. Nehalem, its next generation CPU, will include a Power Control Unti (PCU) dedicated to making the chip more efficient. About 1 million transistors, as much as a 486 CPU used, will be used for the sole purpose of managing power using temperature sensor data and software feedback (OS requests, etc). TreeHugger's EcoModo column appears every Tuesday on Gizmodo. -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: Is there any technology more overdue than solar-powered air-conditioning? The internal combustion engine will someday be replaced by electric motors, but in the meantime, here are 5 technologies that are making it better. Day4 Energy announced a breakthrough with a solar panel that is 25% cheaper. And finally, there are an estimated 705 million CRT televisions in the USA, each of which contains toxic lead. More » -
roundups
Ecomodo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: Lotus has developed a 'sound simulation technology' to make hybrids and electric cars noisier. Since the sound is simulated, you could probably hack it to put in the sound of a TIE Fighter or an old Sherman tank. Oh boy... Nissan has unveiled the ECO Pedal, a tactile feedback mechanism in the gas pedal that helps you save gas. Also, Anchorage, Alaska, will install 16,000 LED streetlights, an investment that could save $360,000 per year at the current energy prices. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: A Lithium Iron Phosphate breakthrough could mean better (cheaper, more powerful) batteries for electronics, hybrids and electric cars. Researchers have figured out a way to use micro-lenses to make better OLEDs, generating up to 70 lumens/watt! Google has decided to invest in a battery and an electric car company. And finally, a study shows that big screen plasma TVs use more juice than plug-in vehicles. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: A big LED breakthroughat Purdue University could change the world and even kill CFLs. Some competition for LCD technology: Telescopic pixels work on the same principle as the telescopes that astronomers use, and are much more energy efficient than other screens. And finally, Matsusitha is investing in a new factory to increase its lithium-ion battery production by 300%, and some of those will go to various kinds of hybrid and electric cars. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: We look back at 17 electric cars that were featured in our archives during the past 3 years, including speed demons like the Eliica (top speed 250 mph) and Wrightspeed X1 (0 to 60 in 3 sec). The not very useful, but oh-so-fun Circular Bike, aka Vicious Cycle made from salvaged parts. And from the wonders of science, we look at whether carbon nanotubes could make artificial photosynthesis possible. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: Tired of high gas prices? Even hypermiling isn't good enough for you? Check out VW's 282 MPG car! Limited edition coming out in 2010. If you are reading this, you have a computer. We often hear about all the energy they use, but rarely about all the energy they save. Wouldn't it be cool if a giant rubber snake saved the world? That's hyperbole, but this rubber tube could help produce power from waves. More » -
roundups
EcoModo: The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: Tesla Motors, makers of fine electric cars, have a announced along with California's governor that their next electric car will be called 'Model S' and that it will be built in the Bay Area instead of New Mexico. A 375 lbs black bear was shot down with a tranquilizer dart, but fell in the water. Adam Warwick jumped after it and kept the bear from drowning in sting-ray infested waters. A roundup of 7 Electric Scooters, from prototypes to production models. Finally, Carlos Ghosn announced that Nissan would produce an electric car by 2010. More » -
roundups
Ecomodo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: Water-powered cars. Everytime oil prices are high, we hear about them. The latest one is the Genepax from Japan, but we don't think it's truly powered by water and we explain why here. In 2007 there were 11.8 million servers in the US, up from 2.6 million ten years before, and something must be done about power consumption. Finally, solar-powered LED lamps could replace kerosene lamps in the developing world. More » -
roundups
Ecomodo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger:Production of the first commercial hydrogen car has begun: Honda's FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle will be available to a select few in California, but there's a problem with it. And finally, the Queen of England has decided to invest in wind power by buying the prototype of the biggest wind turbine in the world. More » -
roundups
Ecomodo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: A new solar breakthrough holds the promise to reduce the cost of solar panels using titanium oxide, a non-toxic mineral often found in white paint. A battery breakthrough using manganese has been announced by Hitachi (this is breakthrough week!), and smart electricity meters are coming to your house. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: We can't know the future, but the more accurate our models are, the better we can deal with bad stuff before it happens. The good news is, the Argonne National Laboratory has developed new algorithms that will improve computer models of air pollution, and eventually climate change. Hybrid Technologies has announced a new electric supercar that is supposed to compete with 600+ hp gas cars. Streetlight technology might not seem sexy, but there are so many of them that an upgrade makes a big difference. LED is the new generation. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: Date centers and servers gobbled up 61 billion kWh in 2006, and that has kept growing. Microsoft Research is working on clever algorithms and sensors to help save energy and money. The second generation of biofuels won't be made from food crops like corn, and algae is a good candidate. Green Star has developed a new micronutrient that makes algae grow much faster. And unfortunately, the cost of wind turbines is skyrocketing. These giant marvels of modern technology are hit hard by multiple factors... More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: The solar industry is trying to keep one step ahead of government regulators by creating a solar panel recycling scheme. IBM has leveraged its computer-chip cooling know-how to make a solar concentrator able to magnify the sun 2,000 times! This might look like giant hard candy floating in the ocean, but it's actually a 100% natural rainbow iceberg. And finally, Doug Selsam's multi-rotor wind turbines are back with a vengeance, weirder than ever. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: Sunrgi Xtreme Concentrated Photovoltaics: Concentrating solar up to 2,000 times to make it cost-competitive with fossil fuels. Ok, this is silly, but this guy put a lot of effort into re-inventing the horse carriage, and his "one horsepower" Naturemobil is kind of cool. The world's largest LED display is going solar. And last but not least, Help Protect Great Tits, Fight Global Warming, Scientists Say (With Pictures). More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: The MIRA 'plugless' plug-in hybrid car. The batteries are swappable, eliminating the charging time when you are in a hurry. LED bulbs are maturing; the new EvoLux 13W model can replace a 100W incandescent. And finally, from Sweden, the Manodo smart-home gadget helps you monitor your house's power consumption in detail. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: In Ben Wilson's Monowheel, you actually site inside the wheel. I wouldn't want to ride through puddles... China's biggest battery maker, BYD, has decided to get into the electric car market: The E6 Crossover electric car is its third announcement just this year. Watch out Detroit! And finally, meet Voltzilla. An awesome DIY electric motorcycle made from forklift parts! More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: Brazil is the biggest importer of condoms in the world (!), and now the Brazilian government wants to make condoms with latex from Amazon forest trees to help fight deforestation and reduce imports. More » -
roundups
EcoModo - The Best of Treehugger
This week at TreeHugger: The 2/4SIGHT V6 prototype engine can switch between 2-stroke and 4-stroke modes, giving a 2.1-liter the power of a 3 or 4-liter engine. Benjamin Nelson shows his DIY all-electric motorcycle, getting the equivalent of 300 mpg. This one is weird, but kind of cool: the CVO8 robot eats suburban sprawl and leaves flora behind. Finally, the advanced Luxim plasma light bulb is twice as efficient as high-end LEDs and lasts 20,000 hours. More » -
roundups
EcoModo: The Best of T-Hugger
This week at T-Hugger: The environment is destroyed thanks to fools who turn up the heat and open the windows at the same time. Mr. T has no pity for those fools. Get a brain, suckas. Protect yo environment. Buy hybrid cars! Recycle! Drink your milk. Do your homework. Stay away from drugs. Uuuuuuugggh. More »






































