April 22nd is Earth Day. In celebration of Earth Day I have put together a random list of eco-friendly innovation I think are quite interesting. Take a look at the list below.
Trash Track
via Creative Commons
Smart Tags on trash is by far one of my favorite green ideas.
According to an article in NewScientist
in 2009, MIT’s Senseable City lab, has developed a smart tag for trash
in an effort to help people take ownership of their pollution. The
trash tracking results from Seattle can now be seen on the SENSEable City Lab website.
Recycled Aluminum Chair
via www.dezeen.com
Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka has designed a shape-shifting chair that is covered "in a dome of fabric made of recycled aluminum". The chair shifts shape each time someone sits on it. The chair will retain that that shape until someone else sits in it.
Treadmill on Wheels
via Trendhunter
The treadmill on wheels is exactly what it sounds like. It is a
treadmill on four wheels. It requires people power to make it travel
forward. It’s called Speedfit.
As of now this innovative eco-friendly exercise machine can only hold
up to two people, but Olympic medalist Alex Astilean, the inventor of
this fitness invention, would like to take his idea forward and invent a
treadmill bus or two and would like to race the treadmill
people-powered buses against each other. Imagine the reduction of air
pollution and obesity if people would travel on one of these buses to
work.
Butt Juice Anti-rust
via Creative Commons
A Chinese research group of Xi’an Jiaotong University has found a way
to recycle
cigarette butts to help prevent rust. The butts are soaked in water
for a day, acidified the butt juice, and then use it to coat steel and
other metals materials. "The researchers acidified the extract and used
it to treat steel disks, achieving up to 95% efficiency in preventing
metal corrosion compared with untreated steel. They believe the chemical
adsorb and form a protective layer on the metal surface. In addition,
the leftover cellulose acetate from the filters is amenable to recycling
to make other materials" (C&EN;).
Dung Shoes
via www.highsnobette.com/
Most of the time people avoid stepping in poop, but one unique fashion designer, INSA, decided to make it a part of 10-in heels and then decorated it all with beads and more. There is more to the story than this. In fact it has something to do with a man named Chris Ofili and his painting "The Holy Virgin Mary". Chris used elephant dung as material for his painting. Read the story here.
I hope you enjoyed the list. May it inspire you to spend Earth Day thinking about all the ways you can reduce, reuse and recycle all year long. Happy Earth Day everyday!
