The sun has been the chosen power source of this new traffic reader gadget. These readers are actually wireless and very much portable and they can be used to monitor traffic flow in various areas without having to worry about where to get its power.The solar-powered traffic reader is still under testing and a team of transportation researchers from the Center For Infrastructure and Transportation Studies are those in charge of testing the gadget. They are actually using this one to try to get information on traffic on various areas in New York so as to help out alleviate much traffic jams.

$3.9 million. That is how huge the budget has been for the project and it was the Federal Highway Administration that funded it. The CITS director and professor for decision sciences and engineering systems, William Wallace, says, “We hope to use this technology to enable better management of our traffic system.”

[Via Technology Daily News]
[Image from Wired New York – Forum]

There is a new kind of sales incentive program in town. And it sure is catching the attention of buyers of new homes. Sure, who would not want to own a new home that could help the owners save their budget on energy?You see, the new program actually is being offered in the East Valley for the very first time. And new home buyers would be offered new homes with solar panel systems. Buyers then would have new homes that would not need to use electricity. After all, solar power is available most of the day and with solar panels, the energy can be stored and later converted when needed.

The average new homes offered are around 2000 square feet. The new home buyers are then also offered if they would like to upgrade and have larger solar panels installed instead if they choose to purchase even larger homes.

[Via East Valley Tribune]
[Image from Energy]

Soon enough, you would be hearing about the new and the very first solar city in the whole globe. This one can be found in the Land Down Under. So which town is it going to be?According to Prime Minister John Howard, the Australian suburb of Blacktown has been the lucky town chosen to be the very first solar city. The prime minister further says that such a move has actually been done so as to show that people can battle greenhouse gas emissions.

Sure, the whole project is going to take a huge chuck out of the federal government’s budget. In fact, this first solar city is going to be built as part of a project that costs $15 million. Howard does say, “Solar power is part of the solution to the problem of challenging and responding to greenhouse gas emissions. It’s not the only solution but its part of the solution.”

[Via news.com.au]
[Image from Hugg]

So how does one give a mobile phone power and juice without having to use new batteries or using up electricity?

Well, there is a mobile phone charger in the market that actually makes use of the power of a human. It is a wind-up device so you can just wind the thing up and your mobile phone gets the power it needs. This just means that you can give your mobile phone power even if you are away from your home or office.

How does the wind up mobile phone charger work? Well, remember how your convential mobile phone chargers work? This one is just like that. You connect the wind up charger to your almost dead mobile phone. Then you start winding up the handle.

If you are thinking that perhaps your phone may not be compatible with the wind up mobile phone charger, need not worry. There are adaptors that are included when you purhcase the charger so you can use it for various phones like Nokia, Motorola, Siemens, and Ericsson.

[Via Ecozone]
[Image from Lake & Air Pilot Shop]

Have you got a pile of old and rusty refrigerators stocked in your garage? Are you thinking how you may actually get rid of them?

Well, there is a way you can get rid of these refrigerators and still make money.

You see, JACO Environmental Inc. (a recycling company) would gladly pick up any of your damaged refrigerators without you having to spend a cent. And yes, after they pick your refrigerators up, they would also be sending you a check for $35. Yes, $35 for a used and beaten refrigerator that does not even work.

Why the intrest in such refrigerators? This is because JACO was joined by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and they have this new robotic machine which has the power to extract harmful and toxic materials like Freon and chlorofluorocarbons from refrigerators. It looks like a claw and it can also decrease the amount of time that refrigerators are recycled.

[Via North Gate News Online]
[Image from Sharpsville]

The coats were not actually trendy enough. They were electric blue in color and they were fashioned to become fleece jackets. But you may be seeing many of these around.

What really happened was that, these jackets were actually given to the children of the various schools that were able to accumulate and collect the heaviest amount of plastic bottles. The Carver Elementary School children, as one of the top fifty schools to collect the highest amounts of plastic bottles, were one of the recipients of some 2000 warm fleece jackets plus a $1000 grant. Some took the jackets to use themselves while the rest of the jackets were given out to needy children.

What is interesting is that these fleece jackets were actualy created from recycled soda bottles and plastic milk bottles. It was all part of a competition last spring called the “Return The Warmth” wherein students had to collect plastic bottles. Lesser garbage, more warmth.

[Via Daily Journal]
[Image from TR Design Clothing]

In New Jersey, the retirement villages of Homestead actually have a large sprawling of grass and other shrubs. And interestingly, these actually get the nourishment from recycled water. To be exact, recycled toilet water. You got that right. Toilet water.

The president of the area’s homeowners association, Joe Lawrence, actually have mentioned that before they used recycled water, they used water from the pond. However, they did experience times when the pond would dry up. But by using recycled toilet water, they could keep their greens even greener for each day, there would be around 140,000 gallons at the very least that are flushed.

Sure, the water would still have to go through a cleansing process. It would be quite yucky if the retirement villages would be using still dirty flushed toilet water. But no need to worry much. Not all of the water would be from toilets. There would also be those that would be taken from the shower and from sink drains.

[Via Houston Chronicle]
[Image from Lawn Sprinklers]

If you live in Australia, you certainly would be familiar with that political party named the Green Party. And one of the really interesting pitches for election that this party has got is about the new proposal for each and every Australian individual: each should take their baths using the solar heated shower.

The Green Party is actually proposing that all of the homes that would be built would now have to have solar power units installed. Along with that, perhaps, would be the solar heated shower. Aside from that, the group is also proposing that in the coming fifteen years, homes should also slowly start replacing their current electric and gas systems with environment friendly ones.

Louis Delacretaz is the current energy spokesman for the Green Party. And with regards to this proposal, he says, “A complete change over to solar could potentially reduce the state’s greenhouse gas production by 2200 million tonnes each year.”

[Via EarthToys]
[Image from Land+Living Network]

Yes, there is a new breed of batteries in the market. They are rechargeable and they are called as Eneloop. Japanese electronics giant Sanyo is their creation. Plus, if you would like to recharge them, you can make use of the Eneloop charger which makes use of solar power to give those batteries the power it needs.

Sanyo says that Eneloop actually is a combination of the words “energy” and “loop” which simply just goes to show that these products are going to be the friends with the earth and the environment. Sure, I also did read that if recycle plants could actually recycle these batteries when they do not work anymore. The company also does claim that these batteries last even longer compared to the usual ones.

You would do have to travel to Japan though this month if you would like to own these Eneloop batteries and battery chargers.

[Via Laptop Logic]
[Image from Racequeen]

Is it already just so cold outside that you take out your fleece pullover? Well, if you do, try to take a real good look at your piece of clothing. You would be really interested to learn that the insulation material of what you are holding is actually made from recycled plastic or pop bottles. Yes, it might have taken around 25 pieces of two liter plastic pop bottles to make one of that medium sized fleece pullovers you are holding.

Too good to be true? Well, you might also want to inspect your sleeping bag’s insulation. That may also hold recycling plastic bottles. Perhaps around 85 recycled plastic bottles for your large sleeping bag’s insulation.

Such a thing is just good. After all, from being one of the most pesky pieces of waste around, people have found ways to recycle them and make them into something else that would be really useful to people.

[Via About My Planet]
[Image from Community Strategy Partnership]