Illegal whaling ships have been roaming the oceans of the world literally scotch-free for the last couple of decades and most often the only little hindrance they get is from those tiny little ships that have brave volunteers from ‘eco-friendly’ groups trying hard to stop the fast paced giants. Well, finally the huge ships and their sharp harpoons have finally met their match and its is the Ady Gill (formerly known as Earthrace) that will teach them a lesson or two about sneaking up and spoiling the party. Out to nab the bad guys of the world’s oceans, this ultra-sleek and Hollywood-esque mean machine on waves will be used by conservation group Sea Shepherd in their effort to combat whaling.

Sea Shepherd is currently preparing for it’s 6th Whale Defense Campaign Operation Waltzing Matilda. About to be launched in Australia the campaign will man the Southern Ocean and Ady Gill along with another mean machine ‘Steve Irwin’ will try to sneak up and ruin as many whale hunts as possible. Silent, efficient and with a top speed of over 50 knots this amazing piece of engineering and design is sure to finally give the conservation groups a much needed edge over the poachers.

So, come this Christmas time expect the Southern seas to and its mighty giants to receive a dark and dazzling visit from this avenger of those who wish to slaughter the innocent. (You, that was dramatic!) Let’s just hope that at least now that the endangered species is protected from the illegal meat market.

Boingboing/ Life

Unleashing the perfect green vehicle on to the roads is the dream of every automaker right now on the planet. There obviously is more reason than one for this very ‘green and clean’ outlook that automobile firms have taken up. Green in terms of the cash they make might also depend on eco-friendly features as we head into a future where fossil fuel is becoming harder to come by with each passing second. EarthSure, a renewable energy company, has officially offered us the first glimpse into its own version of the four-wheeled green carrier of the future with the launch of the AirRay.

Sporting a rood clad with solar honeycomb-membrane panel that is laced seamlessly into the frame of the car and wind turbines on the front which run on the wind flow generated by AirRay’s aerodynamic design, the car can supposedly run on just solar and wind energy; absolutely not a drop of petrol or diesel ever needed. What more, you can even remove its Vehicle to Grid power storage unit and use energy when required at your own home or office.

If you are still imagining a slow, sturdy and clumsy car when we talk about completely emission-free models of the future, then AirRay does away with that misconception as well with its sleek and sexy design and scintillating design that turns heads just like the green energy that turns its wheels over. Its Ferrari-esque look surely has us all floored!

earth-sure

Science and Technology is ever advancing. Today some European scientists launched a satellite called “Smos Spacecraft”, which will make flood prediction easier by tracking water flows around the Earth. The satellite will also provide better weather forecasts and estimate the impact of climate change including drought. The satellite was lifted into space from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia.

Smos also monitors photosynthesis and plant growth besides, being able to measure moisture to a depth of up to 7 feet. Apart from these, the satellite’s second job is to measure the changes in the salt content of the sea surface waters. This will provide a better understanding about what drives global ocean circulation patterns. Smos is set to conduct its mission over three years with a possible two year extension. Another ESA satellite called “Proba-2″ has been lifted today as well. It is designed to demonstrate in-orbit technologies.

Considering that the world is under a constant threat of “Global Warming” we need more such satellites to protect our environment. However, we must not always depend on these satellites to protect the world from dangerous catastrophes; rather we must be careful enough not to harm the environment by exploiting it for our momentary convenience.

Via: DailyMail

Inviting green technology and clean energy options into your home seems to be the best style statement possible these days and modern day designers are ensuring that you have an array of dazzling delights to choose from. Designer Mu-kai Shen has added another wonderful accessory to the solar line of products with the beautiful, stylish and sleek ‘Solar Table’ that promises to seamlessly merge with your minimalistic interior and offer clean energy as well. The table comes with a built-in solar panel on top that will harness the power of the sun during day time and will allow you to power up your gadgets at night.

Armed with a sensuous design, a wooden lining and leaf-like pattern of the table cloth on top, the Solar Table tries to add natural beauty to your concrete world. While setting one of this up in your living room might be a waste of time (unless you have a giant hole in your roof that is) the design is perfect for patios and those high balconies that get plenty of sunshine. Efficient, clean and chic, Mu-kai’s design is ‘cool’ in every sense of the word indeed!

Coroflot

This stretch is too shallow for boats. And too deep for a high tide expedition. It also has an exposed seabed during low tide. The shelter is a habitat for a variety of birds and seals, and more so, can allow you to stay on at the sea during high tide. What’s more, you can even use it as a golden chance to learn more about wildlife on the seabed when it gets flooded.

More than that, it offers shelter for seabed living beings to take shelter during high tide too. In a lot of ways, the SeaShelter is an interface between humans and the sea environment.

Needless to say, its unique features have drawn attention and turned heads at the Design It: Shelter Competition. The design has won the contest, for making seafaring a unique experience. The people’s prize in the same contest went to David Mare’s CBS-Cork Block Shelter.
Via: Inhabitat, Gugenheim

Diet Coke has come up with an unique green advertising campaign this time. Diet Coke has roped in New York based designer Patricia Field who has created a highly trendy urbane designer bag made from recycled coke (PET) bottles. There cannot be a better green message regarding urgent need of recycling.

The campaign is definitely targeted at fashion conscious urban elite and the bag will be given away free with two bottles of Diet Coke from Oct 22. Of course this designer bag (like rest all designer items) will be available exclusively at selected Boot stores in UK and stock is limited. The black bag which folds up and fits into a small pouch looks awesome and it is difficult to believe that it has been made from recycled Coke bottles. This is not the first time Diet Coke has roped in Patricia Field; she had previously designed Diet Coke City Collection and (Ugly) Betty Bottle.

Thanks to such initiatives green is in vogue and it will not come as a surprise if models start walking ramp in fashion shows wearing clothes and accessories made from recycled stuff. Recycling needs to be made fashionable and trendy but environmental message must reach out to the masses and not just to fashion conscious elite.

Via Inspiration Room Daily

Brazil will soon be the world’s hottest sports center as they will host the World Cup 2014 followed by the Summer Olympic Games in 2016. As Brazil prepares to play the role of a punctilious host, officials in its capital, Rio de Janeiro recently unveiled their plan to build a beautiful green-roofed eco-hotel that focuses on its surrounding environment with utmost priority.

Pedro II, Emperor of Portugal built the original of this Hotel Paineiras in 1884 as luxurious rest stop for the wealthy travelers on their way to the Corcovado statue, which is the famous symbol of Rio de Janeiro. Although the hotel has received the green signal from the highest authorities for its renovation, the actual process of rebuilding it will perhaps be a great challenge.

As the hotel is in a pathetic condition, much in the state of total disrepair, it needs to be torn down completely before renovating the site. The plans for the new complex include a tourism center for the memorial and national park, an eco hotel and a convention center. Interestingly, the tourism center will stretch much further as it plans to include indoor public place, exhibition halls, lockers, shops, a cafe, and changing rooms for hikers, outdoor space, and a train station that will ferry the visitors to the monument. Rio will definitely look better than ever and it will surely attract a lot of tourists.

Via: Plataformaarquitectura

German Designer Stefan Ulrich had this in mind when he worked on a fridge concept that uses up the leftover energy from the kitchen and uses it to cool through an innovative combination of new materials.

Stefan Ulrich calls it Neff, a portable fridge, that can either be fixed up on the wall, or be placed on the table, allowing fast and easy access to the most commonly used groceries in the kitchen. When it is fully charged, it can be removed from the wall or table and placed near food to keep it cool for hours. The portable fridge cuts down a great deal on energy bills and arresting global climate change.

Via: Eltopo

Environmental activism is getting interesting. There is more action than just slogan campaigns. There was Earth Day where world went dark for an hour and now World Carfree Day was celebrated on September 22. The campaign urging people to leave cars in garages for one day is very innovative.  Do check out the campaign and response on World Carfree Network.

There has been enough talk of policy change and implementation of environmental laws but there has to be an effort at each individual level for bringing down pollution level and toxic fumes which are choking city residents. Modern life is become absurd. Instead of walking miles on treadmills and cycling in gyms to keep fit people can actually choose to walk miles and cycle down every day. This will cut down hospital bills too. Health benefits of walking or cycling are immense and also one will feel good for not adding to the global warming. Green conscience must grow. Such campaigns will surely help.

Citizens can demand better public transport, cycling lanes, pedestrian walks and thus save choking, dying cities. Many a cities like Amsterdam are cyclists’ paradise. Hope eco-friendly cycle becomes trendy again.

Via Ad Busters

The world’s few remaining billionaires all over the globe are turning into eco-barons. The Sunday Times had published first Green List of top 100 rich who are investing in some green technology or the other.  Environment is taking precedence in business too. Economics is turning into Geonomics.

Yes, world wealth has gone down with recession and in the times of crisis it is quite intriguing that rich are investing in green technology. On top of the Green 100 list is Warren Buffet whose net worth is 267 billion. Warren Buffet has invested in Wind power while for Bill Gates its renewable fuel.  The top Chinese tycoons are investing in solar and electric-car technology. The list is long and interesting.

These green business investments are good news indeed. Green technology will certainly be the future’s dominant technology. It is not just green technology; world’s rich are getting involved in environmental activism, climate change, endowing green energy research etc.

Severe economic downturn is going to shift business priorities. If right lessons are learnt then common wealth should become more important than individual wealth. Biggest common asset is Earth and it makes sense to invest money to save the future of the earth.

Via Progress