If you’ve ever lived in or visited Ithaca, NY your probably familiar with the phrase “Ithaca is gorges”. It’s a funny little saying that gives a good indication of the region’s topography — hills, hills, and steeper hills. In fact, the inclines we have around here would make even Lance Armstrong break a sweat. So, it was with great expectation that I took advantage of an opportunity to review the IZIP Trekking Enlightened hybrid-electric bicycle from Currie Technologies. Could it be possible to bike to work and not immediately have to take another shower?

I’m still figuring that out — and will have a full review shortly — but so far, I have to say that I’m very impressed with the technology being utilized in this bike. First off, this isn’t one of those bikes that you hit a switch and kick back while the electric motors putts you along. The IZIP instead is an electric-assist — giving you some extra torque to help you up some tough inclines. To that end, you still have to pedal. The beauty of this system is that you can choose to have it on or off — or at different levels of assist. About to hit a hill and want some support? Simply press the “+” button on the left handlebar and watch the LCD indicator light a few bars higher. Want to back off? Hit the “-” button. It’s as simple as that — and believe me, you still get a workout.

In riding around Ithaca, the electric assist was super-smooth. In fact, rarely did I know anything had kicked on at all. In one test, I went up a hill outside my home and cruised up at a leisurely pace. Turning off the system, I realized just how difficult the climb actually was. This bike is also heavy — coming in at 50lbs — so that electric assist is definitely a huge plus in steep climbs.

Shifting gears is very smooth and the seat is fairly comfortable. The addition of a bike light in the front and room for a basket behind is also nice. Front and back disc breaks also work flawlessly. Control of the frame in general is excellent — and the manual comes with some good instruction for getting setup for optimal performance.

Charging the bike is a breeze — and the 24V10a Lithium-ion Battery Pack is juiced up pretty fast. Depending on terrain, the battery will last you quite a bit. I’ve been going up many hills — so I’ve had to recharge every other day or so. No big deal. It’s also worth mentioning that you can’t tell this is a hybrid/electric bike. With the battery pack built into the frame, nobody will know your little secret unless you let on. I like that it retains the bike look without adding on an external battery pack of some kind.

As I’ve got the bike for a few more months, I’ll be updating my experiences using it around town. I will say that it’s made a difference in reducing the amount of energy I have to exert getting around — but the routes I’ve been taking up very steep hills are still killing me. Even with electric-assist, Ithaca’s hills are a tough thing to beat. I suspect that with some tweaking of my routes (by taking less severe gradients to get my destination), I’ll craft a more sweatless routine. Still, you can’t beat the smug satisfaction of riding by someone walking their bike up a hill — even if you do have technology giving your ass a boost.

Check out some photos of the bike below:

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More often than not, it’s great to have some solid connections in the green world. Shea Gunther — one of the top green bloggers on the web and twitter — casually threw a question my way earlier this week: Would I like to try a pair of New Balance’s first ever green shoe for their “Eco-prefer Collection”. Would I?!

Less than 12 hours after I accepted, a shiny pair of New Balance 070s arrived on my doorstep. I tore open the box, admired the bold colors, and have pretty much been wearing them since. But first, let’s talk about what it is exactly that makes these shoes “green”.

Obviously, New Balance set out to completely re-think they way they design shoes in as environmentally-friendly a manner as possible. To that end, the 070 fits together like a kind of puzzle to reduce waste. The outsole features a rice husk fill that decreases the amount of rubber used in the production of the shoe. The insert, as well as all synthetics, are made from recycled materials. The upper materials use a combination of recycled polyester and natural materials. The upper is also designed so that everything has a symmetrical opposite. This was done to minimize waste as much as possible when cutting the material for the shoes.

It’s worth noting that water-based adhesives bond all the different sections together. To sum up, it’s a great start to a sort of green shoe revolution.

But how does it feel? A shoe can look great and be as green as dirt — but if it doesn’t get the job done, what good is it, right? I’m happy to report that the NB 070 more than lives up to the expectation of comfort and support. In the time since I’ve owned them, I’ve taken a four-mile hike and cruised through traffic pumping away on my bike to get to work. So far, so good — and I like to beat the hell out of my footwear. These things are solidly built. Believe me, unless you pointed out their green qualities, nobody would have a clue that you’re wearing anything other than some good-looking kicks.

Anyways, I’ll update if anything particularly interesting pops up regarding these shoes — but let me just end this review giving New Balance a solid thumbs up on their new eco collection. Now, how about extending this sustainable design to your other shoes?

Available for $79.99 here.

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Enjoy solar showers, but really want to be completely naked in the process? Unless you’re in a nudist colony, that option might be not available on a public beach. However, this innovative (and stylish) pop-up privacy tent from Guide Gear will hide your bits and bops while giving you a clean, hot rinse. The 6.5 lb tent is quick to setup and includes a 5-gallon PVC Solar Shower. Said one recent reviewer on Amazon:

Our family has always been more on the “minimal” side for car camping trips, but with my 23 year old daughter and her friends along on our recent trip, we needed a shower. We bought a Zodi water heater and this pop up shower tent. Great decision! The tent pops up in a second, nothing to put together and added almost no weight or bulk to our gear. The olive green material provided total coverage, blended nicely with the outdoor terrain, and had plenty of room for big guys. The 3 adjustments we made were adding a clip/clothespin to attach the shower head to the top, a chair right outside to hang towel and clothes (it cannot support much weight), and a large plastic pan to stand on. With those items, we had eight of us showering daily with no hitch.

That being said, you could also just go and jump in the nearest river. While this item is indeed handy, it may just be another piece of “baggage” that’s rather unnecessary when camping. To each their own, however — you be the judge.

Amazon via Ecofriend

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The energy usage numbers were simplified into MJ/PKT, mega-joules per passenger-kilometer-traveled. When looked at this way, many passengers riding a single vehicle, even if relatively inefficient, actually use less fuel each.  2 people riding an SUV (.9 MJ/PKT) can use less energy, per passenger, than 5 riders in a standard city bus (4 MJ/PKT); however, the numbers change once the bus is full (.5 MJ/PKT). Large Jet aircraft (1.4 MJ/PKT) compare quite favorably, simply because of how many passengers they can carry.

Energy consumption and GHG emissions per PKT (image from study)

My take-away from the article is that finding ways to share rides, rather than simply focusing on miles-per-gallon, can go along way toward conservation.

A PDF of the complete report can be downloaded from IOP Electronic Journals here.  What’s your take?

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I just came across this “Solar Tree” design from Gurdeep Sandhu and thought it to be a creative take on energy generation. As he explains,

With a little space in your backyard, installing this solar tree will not be a problem. During the day just wing-out the panels and let them absorb the glory of the sun; and in the evening fold them back. If you need to move house, just uproot it and take it along with you. Else if technology changes, you can even upgrade the panels for maximum benefit. Silent, efficient, cost effective are some of the virtues that sound music to my ears. What’s more you can either directly hook it up to appliance during the day or store the energy for later use. The sturdy metallic silver aluminum frame looks neat and tidy when packed up.

I’d love to see some big wheels on this thing to make it truly portable. I could see construction crews rolling these suckers off of trucks and using them to power machinery. Having them fold up easily and tuck away somewherer is definitely a plus — though I wonder how many people could benefit from a setup like this instead of one on their roofs.

More details available here.

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Back in June of last year, we dropped the story that harvesting rain water in Colorado was actually an illegal activity. We commented on just how dumb this law was — and over 100 comments later, many of you agreed. Almost a year later, the Colorado legislature has revised the draconian law to give some homeowners rights the water that falls from their roofs. But not everyone will be happy. From the article,

If you live in the city, don’t install a barrel under your gutter spout just yet. The legislation lets residents on wells collect rain and establishes 10 pilot projects for new developments. Residents on municipal water still can’t legally collect rain, and water suppliers are leery of legislation that would let them. “All the water was spoken for here in the Arkansas Basin 100 years ago or more,” said Kevin Lusk, water supply engineer for Colorado Springs Utilities. “If the water falls as rain, that’s water that was going to get to the stream system, and somebody already has dibs on it, and if somebody intercepts that, it’s the same as stealing.”

The same as stealing? Give me a break. If a homeowner owns property, they should have rights to use the water that falls on that parcel. “If you can just use what’s coming out of the sky, it saves energy costs, it saves transportation costs, and ultimately, at the end of the day, it should save us on using forms of water that have to be treated,” said CO State Rep. Marsha Looper, R-Calhan. I agree with her 100%.

Even with the new laws, you’ll still need to fill out a stupid application if you’d like to legally collect rainwater on your property. For more details on how to jump through the hoops, click here.

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I have a healthy appreciation for Worm Bins after managing to get through a winter with a DIY version in my basement. Those little red wigglers made fast work of my food scraps and were a nice alternative to trudging to the compost pile in the cold. Plus, the “instant compost” went right into the soil mix for my seedlings and proved a nice boost for spring planting. However, I know my system rather sucks — not enough aeration, poor drainage, and no easy way to access the all-valued “worm tea”. There are plenty of excellent instructions for making your own worm bin online (I took over my current bin from a friend) — but I thought it would worth it highlighting some of the brands out there for those that want to get started right away.

Can-O-Worms | Price: $129.00 (can probably find it cheaper) | Buy it

The Can-O-Worms is a nice multi-level, circular vermicomposter that can easily be used indoors or out. Made from 100% recycled materials and a 20,000 worm capacity! Said one reviewer, “One minor drawback is the little plastic tap on the bottom of the can did wear out, and we had to buy a new bin, but 7 years is a pretty good lifetime for a $99 investment. Also, the little holes between the levels sometimes get clogged, but occasional cleaning (take out the tray and spray it with a hose) minimize this issue.”

Gusanito Worm Farm (3, 4, 5-tray) | Price: Depends on # of trays. Lowest is $69.95 | Buy it

The Gusanito seems to be a nice “boxy” worm bin — with the option for several trays for expansion. You fill the bottom tray with worms (can hold 10K-12K) and kitchen scraps — and they little wigglers slowly make their way up through the other trays; leaving behind their valuable casings. Once again, this bin comes from 100% recycled plastic and carries a bonus 5-year warranty. Said one reviewer, “This bin looks good in the kitchen, is more than easy to use and my worms are very happy in it. It has large trays so you can keep using it for a good while before paying it any attention (like removing completed compost). The bottom collects “worm tea” which your plants will love and the lid keeps uglies out of sight but is well ventilated for the worms. And it’s true: no flies, no stink, nada.”

Beauticious Bamboo Worm Bin | Price: The Mercedes of the worm bin world will set you back $895 | Temporarily Sold Out

This worm bin comes to us from the online store of celebrity Daryl Hannah. Sure, it’s probably the “prettiest” vermicomposter out there, but it costs a laugh-inducing $895. If you’re ready to drop that kind of cash on a worm bin, I’ve got a gold-plated compost tumbler out back that I’d love for you to see. Still, there must be some people out there with deep, green pockets as this item is already sold out. Hit the site for more info.

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Back in November, British banking giant HSBC did a clever thing with a swimming pool: they took a picture of New York City from above and applied it to the bottom to make a point about climate change and rising sea levels. The effect is nothing short of amazing. My eyeballs are still having trouble not believing these people aren’t swimming a thousand feet above the NY skyline. Granted, sea levels would never rise that much — and the water probably wouldn’t be crystal clear (or toxin-free) — but, it still makes you think.

via neatorama

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When you hear the words “rain collector”, the first thing that probably comes to mind are of barrels next to gutters. A company called Second Rain, however, thought that there might be a more aesthetic way to capture water — and as they say on their site “No offense to rain barrels, but they’re not easy to sit on.”

Hence, their multi-use rainwater collection system was born. Each “box of rain” holds about 40 gallons of water and is made from durable, 98% recycled premium grade HDPE plastic (2% is UV & color additive). They are also modular (so you can easily connect another unit) and include liner, fittings, adapters, valve, and tubing needed to connect to a garden hose.

Obviously, the greatest benefit to using a second rain system is that you can easily hide it within a patio. The demonstration design on their homepage shows that such a setup can store 495 gallons of water.

The major downside is that each of these boxes costs $299 — which for a 40 gallon capacity is quite expensive. You’re obviously paying more for the modular and aesthetic options this system gives you. But for those that want a certain look, perhaps Second Rain might be just the product they’re looking for.

Check out more details and pictures over on their website here.

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Google’s Street View fleet has a new low-tech edition: the Google Trike. For those not familiar with the street capture technology, it’s a feature on Google Maps that allows you to view actual images of a street location — in 360 degrees. Beyond the fascinating technology that puts this all together — what’s even more impressive is the army of employees out there on the roads of America (and almost every other country) taking panoramic snapshots using the Google camera vehicles.

Of course, cars (thankfully) aren’t allowed to go everywhere. But that hasn’t stopped Google. The search engine giant has instead hacked a trike to carry the necessary equipment to get the digital deed done. From Autobloggreen,

The three-wheeled, human-powered overgrown tricycles carry 250 pounds of ballast in the form of “a mounted Street View camera and a specially decorated box containing image collecting gadgetry,” says the internet giant. All that extra heft reportedly requires a “specially trained super fit” rider. Google’s new trikes will be deployed first in Genoa, Italy, this spring. Assuming that launch proves successful, Google will send its pedal-powered cameras to the United Kingdom, where they’ll point their lenses towards a slew of famous British landmarks.

We imagine one would definitely have to be “superfit” to lug these things around — but a great design effort on the part of Google nonetheless to overcome vehicular limitations.

Wired via Autobloggreen

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