Cycling into the Future: 15 Crazy Concept Bicycles


Since bicycles work pretty flawlessly as it is, you might wonder just why we need crazy modifications like spokeless wheels and the ability to ride sideways. Innovation never ceases, and as a result we’ve been treated to a wild assortment of ideas from giant amphibious contraptions to bikes that fold up into backpacks. Some of these 15 concept bikes address issues like cost, portability and adaptability and others are just plain strange.

15 Crazy Concept Bicycles

weburbanist.com

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Beyond Green Roofs: 15 Vertically Vegetated Buildings


Vertical gardens bring lush, verdant life to even the coldest and barest of surfaces, both indoors and out. These ‘living walls’ increase interior humidity, purify the air and provide a much-needed touch of nature in spare, angular urban spaces like airports, museums and shopping centers. Here are 15 buildings with stunning vertical greenery, from 6-story elevator shafts to subterranean restaurants.

Vertically Vegetated Buildings

webecoist.com

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MIT Unveils 90 MPH Solar Race Car


MIT's latest solar race car might look like a funky Ikea table with a hump, but don't laugh. It'll do 90 mph and is packed with technology that may end up in the hybrids and EVs the rest of us will soon be driving.

The university's Solar Electric Vehicle Team, the oldest such team in the country, unveiled the $243,000 carbon-fiber racer dubbed Eleanor on Friday and is shaking the car down to prepare for its inaugural race later this year.

MIT Unveils 90 MPH Solar Race Car

wired.com

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VW will vorerst auf die Markteinführung von Elektroautos verzichten


Der Volkswagen-Konzern beabsichtigt, vorerst auf den Einsatz eines Elektromotors in seinen Autos zu verzichten. Die Aussage stammt von Ulrich Hackenberg, einem Mitglied im Vorstand der Entwicklungsabteilung des Konzerns. Der Manager begründete die Entscheidung damit, dass die Technik momentan „noch nicht reif“ sei. Auch sei ein Einstieg in die Batteriefertigung, die viele Konzerne als Schlüsseltechnologie sehen, nicht geplant.

wikinews.org

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The 360 Paper Water Bottle


That's what the people over at Brand Image are hoping, since they designed the 360 Paper Water Bottle. It's 100% recyclable and made from 100% renewable resources, plus it's completely food safe and capable of carrying all liquid types.

The 360 Paper Water Bottle

greendaily.com

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Recycling in Russia


Recycling in Russia

ziza.ru

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BIOWALLS: Living Walls Filter Out Toxins Indoors (VIDEO)


By now we've all seen green roofs (and voted on our favorite green roofs), but what about green walls? Biowalls, a very cool concept, look amazing and actively, naturally purify the air indoors.

Morristown building goes green with biowall

huffingtonpost.com Assessment of Biowalls: An Overview of Plant- and Microbial-based [pdf]

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Amazing solar-powered fridge invented by British student in a potting shed helps poverty-stricken Africans


It's the kind of simple yet brilliant invention that would have the tycoons of Dragons' Den salivating with excitement.

Not only is the fridge solar powered, it can also be built from household materials - making it ideal for the Third World.

Emily Cummins

dailymail.co.uk

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Convert your Honda Accord to run on trash


We may not yet have a flux capacitor for time travel, but we do already have the equivalent of "Mr. Fusion", which if cleverly applied, will enable you to run your car on everyday "trash"-- today. This "magical" device is called a gasifier. And what it does is called gasification.

Convert your Honda Accord to run on trash

instructables.com

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Chinese Automaker Unveils First Electric Car


A Chinese auto manufacturer, BYD, is introducing today the country's first electric car, a plug-in hybrid vehicle. It plans to sell at least 10,000 cars in 2009 for a price of less than $22,000. This put the company ahead of schedule against other entrants to this market, such as Toyota, due to release a similar car in late 2009; and GM, whose Chevy Volt will be launched in late 2010.

allheadlinenews.com

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'Solar taxi' goes round the world


A solar-powered car has arrived at the UN climate change talks in the Polish city of Poznan after a round-the-world trip covering almost 40 countries.

At the wheel of the "solar taxi" was Swiss teacher Louis Palmer who made the 52,000km (32,000 mile) 17-month trip.

bbc.co.uk

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All About Mr. Elephant, in His Becoming Green Suit


What does the “very rich Old Lady” see in Babar the elephant? What, for that matter, do we see in him? Something appealing surely, even if we would not follow her example and give him a full purse to go shopping for a suit of a “becoming shade of green,” or do calisthenics with him or buy him a red roadster.

All About Mr. Elephant, in His Becoming Green Suit

nytimes.com

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