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1. Win $10,000: Show Others How to Save Energy in a 30-Second Video
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2. BYD Builds Hybrid Dreams
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3. Floors Made From Recycled Leather Belts
Win $10,000: Show Others How to Save Energy in a 30-Second Video
susan - Sustainable Ideas
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You want to save energy, save money and save the planet, right? So why not shoot your own little home video and show other Americans how they can be smarter in their energy use. Just a little 30-second video – and you could win $10,000.
That's all there is to it. The video contest is sponsored by Smart Power, an organization devoted to helping Americans become smarter about their energy use.
Need inspiration? Smart Power offers these factoids on energy use to get your creative green juices flowing:
- Phantom load (the energy that appliances continue to draw when you think they're off – but they're still plugged in) wastes roughly the same amount of energy as produced by 18 power plants!
- If every American home replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a CFL bulb, we would save enough energy to light 3 million homes for a year, save over $600 million and reduce the emissions equivalent to 800,000 cars.
- If you are using a second refrigerator in your basement or garage, consider getting rid of it — you’d save over $100 per year.
So start shooting. The deadline for this Smart Power: Let's Get Energy Smart contest is Earth Day — April 22, 2009.
BYD Builds Hybrid Dreams
khallgeisler - Bikes & Cars
Thanks to Nissan’s pulling out of the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, Chinese auto manufacturer BYD (”Build Your Dreams”) got its chance to shine. Last year, BYD was relegated to the basement of the Cobo Center; this year, they were upstairs, between Subaru and fellow Chinese auto maker Brilliance, where the overhead lights could gleam off the company’s hybrid cars.
With a blast of music from the loudspeakers and a substantial investment from Warren Buffet, BYD is setting itself up to take on Toyota, Honda, Ford, and everyone else with a horse in the hybrid race. BYD began in 1995 as a battery producer, so building the car around the power system was a cinch. Like most other manufacturers with a new technology to sell, BYD brought a cutaway car to showcase its dual-mode hybrid system.
BYD’s first car, the F3DM, went on sale in China in December 2008. The company plans to bring its cars to the U.S. by 2011, and eventually to build them here, too. The next BYD car to reach showrooms will be a “family-sized” sedan, also dual-mode, called the F6DM. Both dual-mode cars have a 1-liter gasoline engine, an EV range of 68 miles, and a not-too-shabby 0-60 time of 10.5 seconds.
The BYD e6 is an all-electric vehicle with a 250-mile range and a 0-60 time of 8 seconds. It also features a “quick-charge” capacity that can restore 50% of its power in 10 minutes.
In all its cars, BYD promises safety, quality, affordability, and environmental responsibility. It’ll be interesting to see how they fare against the IIHS crash tests and EPA mileage machines.
Floors Made From Recycled Leather Belts
jchait - Home & Garden
This is one of the coolest re-purposing projects I’ve seen in a good long while - belts as floors! This just goes to show you that with a little creativity, you can re-purpose just about anything.
The floors made by TING with recycled leather belts are part of their HOME line. The HOME line stats follow:
“Brightly coloured seat belts are woven into floor and scatter cushions, oversized cubes and hammocks. Deceptively simple in design and incredibly durable, these distinctive accessories have become a modern classic, adding sleek sophisticated glamour to stylish interiors, including bars, restaurants, boutique hotels and film and fashion shoots. Inghua is currently expanding this range and the new, extended HOME collection will be launched at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York this Spring 2008.“
Very nice. TING also makes items like luggage, belts, wallets using salvaged materials.
Thanks to my pal Peggy who first posted about this at Junk Creation. Since I ruthlessly stole this tip from her, check out one of her other green home inspired posts.
- Recycled Street-Chic Light Switch Plates
- Resource for Reclaimed Materials: Planet Reuse
- From Cars to Furniture
What do you think of these hip floors?
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