http://www.gotwind.org/Orange_Wind_Generator.htm

http://www.gotwind.org/

For years, LEDs were nothing more than near-insignificant indicator lights on appliances. Now, not only are they being used to create incredibly powerful floodlights and wall washers, but they are beginning to infiltrate the consumer market. Our LED Desk Lamps are the latest and best example of this. Fashioned out of sleek, brushed aluminum, these products are modern without being obtuse and efficient while maintaining maximum quality and integrity.

http://www.ledwaves.com/product.php?productid=19530&cat=392&page=1

From baby decor to Adrift’s sophisticated mobiles, mobiles brighten up a room for inhabitants of all ages. The Birds of a Feather Mobile. is a new favorite we just discovered at Friend in San Franciso. Designed by Helene Ige, this flora-and-fauna mobile features tree branches and cute little birds laser cut out of Walnut Veneer. We think its a lovely way to bring a little of the outdoors into your home.

$59.50 from Friend

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http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzz/Eco-Fur

Gratuitious cute animal alert part deux!

We know you don’t just want to hear about greener gadgets and solar power all day long, so every now and again we hope you don’t mind if we bring you an injection of cute animalage to brighten up your day, as it relates to Inhabitat (ie bamboo or owls). Sure, the New York City Congestion Plan may be DOA, but at least here’s a cute owl story for you to enjoy…

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Hey wordpress-savvy tech geeks out there!

Inhabitat needs a dedicated tech support guru like nobody’s business. We are currently looking to fill one ongoing, part-time with possible potential for full-time position working on Inhabitat’s backend tech support and website development. PHP, MySQL, CSS, Wordpress programming and general website maintenance are the main features of this job. If this sounds like you or someone you know, read on..

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Gratuitous cute animal photo alert! Could this puppy be our new mascot? Habby, watch yr back - this little guy’s coming for you…

Via Icanhascheezburger

ATTENTION NEW YORKERS! This weekend is the annual Armory show in New York City - a giant art show which brings 50,000+ art lovers to Pier 94 in New York City from March 27th to 30th, to scoop up great deals in contemporary art. This year lucky showgoers will have an opportunity to see stunning new green furniture designs in addition to the usual paintings and photographs, with Vivavi’s specially curated green design ARTFORUM Public Lounge. For the second year in a row, Vivavi will design and furnish the ARTFORUM Public Lounge to give visitors a chance to chill out and recharge in a setting that demonstrates the possibilities for merging great design with environmental responsibility. Teaming up with one of our favorite eco designers, Molo, Vivavi will furnish the entire green lounge with a giant foldable paper Molo ‘Softseat’.

Stunning green furniture will also be on display from Brave Space, Knu, and Todd Laby/Rhubarb Decor.

See the Armory website for more details >>

+ Ecodesign ARTFORUM lounge at the Armory Show in NYC

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Ever since we first laid eyes on Todd Laby’s stunning green furniture design back in 2005, we’ve been huge fans. Unlike so much of what passes for ’sustainable design’ these days, this thoughtful designer manages to make green design about more than simply using bamboo or eco-friendly adhesives in standard designs, but instead rethinks the very nature and construction of the objects we own, and does so in a way that is sleek, chic, and always provocative. In his ‘Modern Slant’ line of plyboo coffee tables, the bottoms and legs of the tables are positioned at acute angles in order to efficiently balance books and magazines, and keep them from falling over like in your typical flat shelf. Now Laby has a brand new end table that utilizes this same clever idea of angular legs to support all of your literature needs.

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This might not be the most practical outdoor light in the world, but what the Firewinder lacks in pedestrian utility it makes up for in sheer engaging awesomeness. Transforming wind into light, the Firewinder is a hanging, wind-powered LED light that can be powered by the smallest breeze. Unlike most wind turbines that spin vertically, the Firewinder spins in a horizontal direction, illuminating its LEDs in a spiraling helix of light. The coolest thing about the Firewinder is that it doesn’t just run on or off, but instead is visibly reactive to subtle changes in the environment. How bright the LEDs glow corresponds directly to how fast the turbine spins, enabling observers to visualize the power of wind.

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Here’s a great idea for a cell-phone that is thoroughly green in every way: from its biodegradable bamboo materials, to its thoughtfully considered lifecycle, to its ingenious use of kinetic human power to charge the battery with renewable energy. The ‘Bamboo’ phone, by Dutch designer Gert-Jan van Breugel was one of the finalists shortlisted at this year’s 2008 Greener Gadgets Design Competition (and Jill’s personal favorite). Although this design didn’t end up winning one of the coveted top three prizes in the competition, it certainly caught our kinetic-energy-loving eye.

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Ever wished you could charge your cell phones and laptop on the go - in your car, on a train, or just walking around? There are many new gadgets for mobile renewable energy: from solar gadget chargers, to kinetic energy chargers, to mini portable wind turbines. Check out this video to learn a bit more about some of the companies behind the most future-forward new mobile renewable energy devices.

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What is going on with all these gigantic spiky eco towers popping up all over Russia and the former Soviet Union? First it was the piercing Siberian eco-tower in Mansyisk, then the sharp and very aggressive looking ‘Peace’ Center in Astana, Kazakstan, then the enormous volcanic Crystal Island spire in Moscow, and just this week, this new sharp green tower going up in St. Petersburg. Seriously, what gives? Iconic British architect Norman Foster is responsible for 4 out of 5 of these pointy eco towers, so clearly the man has a thing for building sharp, angular ‘environmental’ towers in the former Soviet Union. But is there a connection in terms of the geography and clients as well? Is it something in air?

Whatever the case, we are excited to discover YET ANOTHER enormous pointy Foster-designed eco tower going up in Moscow, Russia: the Russia Tower. When this colossal tower is completed in 2012, it will be the tallest building in Europe at 2,009 ft tall (612.2 meters), and one of the tallest in the world, just behind Taipei 101 and Burj Dubai. As if that distinction were not enough, the Russia Tower will also be the largest building in the world with a natural ventilation system.

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Sometimes the best designs out there are not ‘products’ that can be purchased — but big ideas made accessible to all through the power of Do-It-Yourself design. The award-winning EnerJar takes the important concept of home energy monitoring, and brings it to the masses in a fun, interactive way through a handy, downloadable DIY design that can be put together using a jam jar and other household objects. By turning energy monitoring into an engaging DIY project the Enerjar took first prize in our recent Greener Gadgets Competition. Designed by Matt Meshulam and Zach Dwiel, this little downloadable DIY kit uses common household materials to monitor the energy output of a variety of everyday devices, allowing a user to take personal responsibility over energy use.

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Hey readers -
Any of you want to write for Inhabitat? We are currently looking for a super-duper power blogger, ideally based in New York City to put his or her excellent writing skills to work in improving the world through the power of good design. Interested? Read on…

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Mary Lou Jepsen’s keynote presentation of One Laptop Per Child at our Greener Gadgets conference was without a doubt one of the highlights of the event.

“By trying to do the right thing and by designing for the poorest people in the world, we’ve made the greenest laptop in the world. And that’s not just the color!”

The OLPC laptop, known as XO or the $100 laptop, is a feat of energy efficient engineering, consuming just 2W of energy - whick makes it able to be powered through solar cells or hand cranks. In the video above, Mary Lou illustrates how the XO laptop is a new model for energy-efficient electronics, and inspiration to look at new ways of powering our devices.

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Despite it’s suspicious name, the Hymini really has nothing to do female naughty bits! Instead it is an extremely promising new portable wind charger. One of the biggest crowd-pleasers at our Greener Gadgets conference last month, we love this cute little portable renewable energy gadget and think you will too. Check out this video from Treehugger on the HYmini. We’ve covered the HYmini before here, but learning about the fab little device at Greener Gadges only made us love them more! Thanks to George Spyros for the video.

+ HYmini
+ Greener Gadgets

+ Inhabitat Greener Gadgets Event Coverage

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Bahar Shahpar Prepster Plaid Jumper

When we first spotted New York designer Bahar Shahpar’s adorable eco-friendly fashions last spring, we were instantly smitten with the playful colors, impeccable tailoring and smart-yet-sassy aesthetic . Whats not to love about cute, colorful, wearable frocks and skirts produced locally in New York City from natural, organic materials? Last summer, Bahar’s iconic flower babydoll dress (shown below) could be found on just about every eco-chic girl in town, and we predict another Bahar Shahpar craze will hit soon when the designer’s new fall collection hits stores in September.

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GREEN DEETS 013 Greener Gadgets Wrap from George Spyros on Vimeo

Since we’re on a video rampage today, we’d love to point you to a fabulous video of our Greener Gadgets Conference that we just spotted over at Treehugger. Check it out above, and pop over to Treehugger to read the full write-up >

+ Treehugger Greener Gadgets Video

Thanks George for your slick editing and deft cover up of how exhausted and fried we were when we shot this!

Our recent Greener Gadgets Conference featured speakers from a wide variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Not only did we invite inventors, engineers, and representatives from the world’s biggest consumer electronics manufacturers, but we also made a conscious decision to spice up the Greener Gadgets dialog with artists, educators and environmental advocates. Nowhere was this diversity better represented than in the Greener Gadgets opening keynote presentation from environmental artist Chris Jordan, whose presentation you can watch in the video above.

Although our short video sadly doesn’t do justice to Jordan’s massive, mind-boggling photographs, (which take up entire walls in galleries), the video provides insight into the vision behind the art, and the innovative method Jordan uses to visualize statistics as fine art. Watch the full-length version of Chris Jordan’s inspiring keynote here, and be sure to check out our other Greener Gadgets videos as well >
(New videos are being added daily).

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Let’s face it- Valentine’s Day isn’t really about the romance anymore- it’s about the chocolate, the Hallmark cards, and of course, the sexy lingerie. But sexy and sustainable aren’t mutually exclusive- in fact the most sexy skivvies are the ones that are so organic and natural they feel like a second skin. Here are a few tips to green your boudoir attire…

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Your eco-cutie deserves only the best this Valentine’s Day. What better way to say I love you than with a sexy splurge of a gift that’s not just romantic, but sustainable too?! Here are some of our best recommendations for great green gifts for the most romantic day of the year.

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We could not think of a better way to talk about ’sustainable style’ then to report on the recent Fall 2008 House of Organic fashion show here in New York City. Presented by our favorite eco fashion design collective Ekovaruhuset at the LEED-CI Gold-certified Haworth NY showroom, the entire presentation was a demonstration of how fashion can be both accessible and dreamy when it comes to the hands-on application of sustainability principles and organic processes. Johanna Hofring, the founder of Ekovaruhuset (which translates to ‘House of Organic’ in Swedish), assembled a first-rate line up of eclectic designers who are also featured at her artisanal eco-boutiques in NYC and Stockholm. Ekovaruhuset’s one-of-a-kind, handmade eco-creations hang together as a collective that redefines the appeal, creativity and luxury of organic design.

For lots more photos of the ‘House of Organic’ Fashion Shows, check out our flickr feed >

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The absolute highlight of our recent Greener Gadget Conference was our end-of-day presentation and live-audience judging of the Greener Gadgets Design Competition. Our favorite Core77 Editor-in-chief Allan Chochinov MCed the highly entertaining event, and we never realized the man was so funny (okay we had an inkling of Allan’s comedic talents, but they really shine in the above video, so check it out).

Using a very high-tech “clap-o-meter” system, judges and audience members debated the various entries to the green gadgets competition, and then selected winners through volume of cheers and claps. Panelist/judges included Ryan Block from Engadget, Valerie Casey of IDEO & The Designers Accord, and me, Jill Fehrenbacher. We’d like to thank everyone who entered, and congratulations to the winners… (read on to see the winning entries!)

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Our first-of-its-kind Greener Gadgets Conference took place yesterday in New York City, and was a smashing success! We were thrilled to get such a great and diverse line-up of speakers, representing not only business and industry, but also academia, non-profit, students, environmental activists and designers. Not only did we completely sell out of our tickets, but we got people turning out from a wide variety of different industries and backgrounds. THANK YOU so much to everyone who attended and was involved in making the whole event so interesting, fun and fabulous!

To see our photos from the event, check out our flickr feed >

To watch videos and download podcasts from the event, click here >

To read a thorough Inhabitat overview of the event, please read on >

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