The new durable eco friendly shipping box was designed by a team of eBay employees at Innovation Expo – which is a program that encourages employees to come up with ideas for products tat benefit eBay buyers and sellers.

The exterior of the box has messages like ‘Reuse eBay Box’ and ‘Where to Next?’ and ‘This box is on a mission to make shipping a little greener and the world a little cleaner’.

The inside of the box also carries messages including one that encourages recipients to sell again on eBay. It says “Now that you’ve gotten what you wanted, sell what you don’t and make some extra cash.”

There is also space on the box for recipients to write a personal message to the next person in the chain – and so the history of each box can be tracked through a virtual community where buyers and sellers can connect online.

The eBay Green Team says that if each box is reused at least five times, it can save almost 4,000 trees and2.4 million gallons of water and conserve enough energy to power 49 homes for a year.

The company has launched the boxes in a pilot program – printing 100,000 boxes in three sizes. Participants in the eBay On Location event have been participating in the pilot program.

The feedback will give the company more information on how well the boxes can function and what they can do as their next step to take the idea forward.

(Via eBaygreenteam)

Apple has come out topping the list largely due to the fact that the iPhones are made of heavily recyclable materials. Apple also offers recycling in 95 percent of the countries that the iPhone is sold.

In second place, LG’s eco-friendly advantage is the power management of its phones, Nokia’s green point came from recyclable materials, Samsung’s trump card was reduction of toxins, and Sony Ericsson green contribution was eco-friendly green packaging.

A similar study by U.K. carrier O2 showed that Palm Pre Plus and LG Etna are the least eco-friendly phone models at present. Their list had Sony Ericsson on top.

(Via WWW)

The rumbles of trouble  arising in this system have been happening since the number of vehicles that qualify for this access are growing rapidly. Recently, the California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill (SB 535) into law which extends HOV-lane access, starting 2012, to 40,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles that qualify for access.

This could mean that the HOV lane is choked with traffic. Cars like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic hybrid, which qualify for HOV access have has huge numbers coming out – 85,000 to be precise.

The question is – should plug-in hybrids and more electric vehicle be given preference for qualifying for the HOV sticker? Is it not fair that regular hybrids be progressively phased out from the HOV lanes in order to ensure that the most fuel-efficient and low-emission vehicles are encouraged?

Even though it not a move that is required with immediate effect, maybe authorities can consider this option to be implemented by 2015, by which time there will be more PHEVs and EVs available.

(Via Treehugger)

InterPark is a wholly owned subsidiary of GE Capital Real Estate that provides parking management services at over 100 parking facilities across the US.
The company’s operations impact parker satisfaction as well as asset performance including cash control, staffing, security and maintenance.

The sweepstakes is one of the ways that InterPark supports greener driving choices and features environmentally sustainable features in its parking structures. They have other green solutions in parking like having electric car charging stations and energy efficient lighting and landscaping.

The company is well known for its clean and well-lit garages, convenient locations, no-hassle pay stations, and friendly service.

The sweepstakes, which runs till the 31st of October 2010, and the green prizes on offer are seen as strong statement of the company’s commitment to making a positive difference in many small ways.

The sweepstakes are open to legal residents of Illinois who are 21 years and above, who possess a current, valid Illinois driver’s license. Participation is not through a purchase of any kind, it is through a contest game card that can be acquired at one of InterPark’s 12 participating Chicago area locations.

Those interested in joining should visit a garage that is participating or go to www.interparkgreen.com for details.The Grand Prize is the two-year lease on a brand new Tesla Roadster Convertible, First Prize – a Toyota Prius Hybrid car and Second prize,  two Trek Bicycles.

The eco friendly battery powered electric bike is available in two models – the City and the Chopper – which intend to give a totally new travel option to commuters who were waiting for a green, stress free alternative to their usual commute.

Available at Santa Monica’s Fred Segal Fun, the bikes boast of operating at a mere 29 cents per charge. Other features include pedals that can be removed, remote control alarm, rear-view mirrors and ample storage space.

Adding immensely to its appeal is the fact that the bike requires no license, insurance or registration. Both models are available in seven standard color combinations, and the company also gives the customer the option of getting a custom color job.

Based in Los Angeles, California, G-Bike is an electric transportation company started by an entrepreneur Travis Morphew who saw the immense potential that alternative transport solution held.

The company wanted to provide users with a ravel option that would deliver them from the stress associated with driving a car.

The City model of the G-Bike looks like a motor scooter – it has an integrated footrest and a step-through frame. The Chopper looks like the chopper motorbike – with an elongated front end, with a low riding position.

Both the models of the G-Bike are competitively priced – on par with the mid-range road and mountain bikes. The Chopper is available for $1000 and the City comes for $1100. This could be the vehicle that revolutionizes inter-city and cross-city travel while caring for the planet as well.
(Via G-Bike)

The vehicles are capable of charging up in ten minutes, thanks to the 72 kilowatt-hour battery packs they have.

The buses and charging stations have been bought from Proterra, a relatively new company that provides fast-charging electric vehicles for commercial purposes.

The batteries that Proterra uses are 50% bigger than those used in the Tesla Roadster.

The buses and chargers cost Foothill $5.6 million. Massive budget cuts that are hitting the transportation sector in most of the states mean that these kinds of buses may not be driving through big cities any time soon.

Foothill, however, hopes to have a fleet of 12 such buses if everything goes as planned.

(Via Proterra)

The company is all set to unleash their new range of handmade toys, clothes and dolls at Masion & Objet in Paris. The show will run from September 3-7, 2010. The Blabla booth at Masion & Objet will be designed by set designer Frank Vesser.

The new collection is based on the inner world of a child and his/her search for laughter, beauty and authenticity. The range has been designed by Florence Wetterwald.

Blabla is known for being an eco friendly company and sell their products, especially the handmade dolls, across the world in 35 countries ranging from Australia to Zimbabwe. The new Fall collections named ‘Lucky’ and ‘Perchance’ have a series of whimsical animals.

There is also a collection of cards and notebooks available from Blabla which have been designed in collaboration with Rachel Ortas.

(Via ChildMode)

The City Council of Burbank has approved Bob Hope Airport’s application for building the hub – $120 million has been approved for the construction of the Regional Intermodal Transportation Center.

This will enable travelers coming in by rail, car and bus to converge at one location. The project is expected to be completed in 2012.

(Via CheapOAir)

Colin Paton’s firm has already won a place on the prestigious Scottish Green List, and now that has been followed by a nomination for the Scottish Green Awards.

Colin’s green drive started in 2008, when he was motivated by the publicity surrounding environmentalism, and added six hybrid cars – Toyota Priuses – to his fleet of taxis. Although they cost him almost £5,000 additionally per car, he was convinced that the savings in fuel and road tax would enable him to recover the difference.

He anticipated making the money back in four years, but now feels that recovery could happen faster – in two and a half or three years.

His drivers are put through training, which helps them to cut down on fuel consumption. Colin also plans to make his own biofuel sources from chip oil to power some of his vehicles. The fact that he recycles old oil and tires, and has built his own garage so that mileage is saved when his cars require work to be done on them, only adds to the eco-friendliness of the company.

When he started off there were rival companies scoffing at the concept. Now, he has been able to show them that taking care of the environment does not necessarily mean that it will be bad for business.

With the hybrid vehicles, Paton saw his fuel bills dropping by approximately £300 a week, and also made a huge difference in consumption.

He believes his approach could cut emissions from the taxi business by 30 million tonnes every year. Statistically figuring it out reveals that one tonne of carbon every 12,000 miles can be saved by going the Colin Paton route. That could add up to 30 million tonnes across Scotland.

(Via News.Scotsman)

Formerly used as a tank armory, the building now has a school campus underneath. The roof is a stunning sight – with 5000 square meters of the panes covered with thin film solar modules.

These are of 1-micron thickness, which makes them semi translucent, allowing light to flood into the building without making it too harsh or hot.

The sidewalls have windows that open automatically to allow natural ventilation and fresh air to flow freely into the school. The construction has kept intact the original concrete floor and support beams of the 4,400 square meter building.

Classrooms are modular and highly insulated, and have climate control facilities. This reduces the energy load vastly. The newly opened school is the first in a project that will use the existing buildings located on the site to create a science and learning center.

(Via Inhabitat)