One Small Step For Man, One POWERleap for Mankind

Some of the most brilliant ideas come from the simplest of places, an apple falling out of a tree, a child playing with a kite, the every day occurrence of a bird flying through the air.

Elizabeth Redmond and her newest invention POWERleap, falls into this category it stems from the act of people walking, and it's just simply brilliant.

Elizabeth Redmond invented the POWERleap, a flooring system that generates electricity every time you move on one of the tiles. Constructed with glass and concrete, the energy generating tiles can bear a heavy load and are being designed to be placed in areas that experience high-foot traffic. It is Elizabeth's intention to have cities powered by the people who live, work, and play there rather than outside energy sources.

Elizabeth explains her invention on the Sundance Channel :

Now that it is out there this idea seems so obvious. It makes you wonder why we haven't done anything like this until now, and what other absolutely obvious things we are missing?

The science behind POWERleap from Elizabeth's website:

At rest, your body is emitting 100 watts of power. That is more than enough energy to power the computer on which this is written. Given this, imagine how much energy we are emitting while walking to [or at] work, running at the gym, or dancing at the club! It doesn’t take a genius to appreciate the thought of that energy doing something more for us than dissipating into the ground or environment…

POWERleap is currently manifested in an installation of urban sidewalk tiles designed and engineered by Elizabeth Redmond. The system utilizes the phenomena of piezoelectricity: electricity from applied stress, founded by the Curie brothers in the 1880’s. A piezoelectric material when compressed distributes a charge across the surface of the material that can be harnessed and used to generate electricity.

Project POWERLeap has come up with a solution to the problem of wasted human kinetic energy. We have designed a flooring system that will harness your exerted kinetic energy, and use it to generate electricity for us to enjoy. By integrating these interfaces that generate electricity from our daily activities in public and semi-public built environments, each individual will have the ability to generate electricity for their community.

WHERE WILL POWERleap BE USED?

CITY SIDEWALKS AIRPORT TERMINALS
TRAIN STATIONS SPORTS STADIUMS
CONFERENCE HALLS DANCE CLUBS
CORPORATE CAMPUSES UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES
FITNESS CLUBS PUBLIC PARKS

POWERleap is still in it's infancy stage and looking for backers, investors, and contributors to get it into the mainstream. Here are some other sources for more information:

Here is a link to her NPR radio interview

http://www.here-now.org

Here is a link to her Earth Keepers at Changents

("Changents is an entertainment-driven online destination that enables "change agents" to tell their amazing stories while building a network of fans around the world who want to help them. Through videos, photos, blogs, mobile messaging and podcast dispatches from the field, change agents draw in "backers" to lend a hand - virtually or in person.)

http://www.changents.com/powerleaper

POWERleap website:

www.powerleap.net

It's a Small World

Today we are focusing on the big world of little technology. I'm considered a "little girl"-in stature that is.....and I love small tech that I can put into my purse, bag, or even pocket.

I picked out a few essentials gadgets that could prove useful for that person who wants to be able to work from just about anywhere!

__________________________________________________________

Aiptek PocketCinema V10 pocket-size projector

(This isn't out yet but man when it is this little gadget will complete me! I will be able to record, print, and now project all on the go from gadgets that will not break my back to carry!)

Photo: Company, June 5, 2008

Aiptek showcased its PocketCinema V10 mini projector at Computex 2008. Aiptek's PocketCinema V10, is a pocket size media player projector equipped with 3M's revolutionary miniature projection technology, which can project a 50-inch image.
The display content can come from a video capable device via the 3-in-1 AV jack. The device can also playback videos and photos from the 1GB internal memory or the SD/MMC/MS Pro card. The V10 supports JPEG, ASF, AVI and MPEG-4 formats and features a stereo speaker and built-in battery

AIPTEK USA

___________________________________________________________

IS-DV2.4 (Red)
Small, Compact Camcorder w/ 2.4" LCD Display

Photo: Company, June 30, 2008

Multi-function camera: The Aiptek IS-DV2.4 functions like five devices in one—a digital still camera, digital camcorder, MP3 player, voice recorder and data storage device.

8-megapixel photos: Equipped with a 5-megapixel CMOS sensor, the still image resolution of the IS-DV2.4 can be enhanced to 8-megapixels. Enjoy high-quality photos—perfect for prints up to 8” x 10”.

Records movies in MPEG-4 format: Easily record 720 x 480 video clips at 30 frames per second— share them over the Internet by e-mail, post on Web pages or view on your PC or television. State-of-the-art MPEG-4 format lets you capture more video in less disc space.

Up to 8 Mega Pixel Digital Camera
● Record 720 x 480 MPEG-4 Video
● Digital Video Stabilization

● Stereo MP3 Player
● 4x Digital Zoom
● 2.4" Swivel-Reversible LCD

● Flash Strobe
● LED Lights
● 4GB SD Card Slot Expansion

● TV/VCR Output

AIPTEK USA

__________________________________________________________

Canon Pixma IP90

The Canon Pixma iP90 is a sleek, lightweight, go-anywhere portable inkjet printer that creates full-size documents and color graphics, as well as 4x6-inch color photographs. Thanks to built-in PictBridge and infrared (IrDA) ports, you can print directly from your digital camera, PDA, or cell phone without a computer. You can also add Bluetooth functionality, a battery, or a power adapter for your car.

Turned off, the iP90 snaps shut into a tight, seamless capsule. When open, the front cover becomes an input tray for plain paper or glossy photo media, from legal to credit card size. You can fill the paper tray with either 30 plain pages, five envelopes, or 10 sheets of 4x6-inch photo paper. If you're printing 8x10-inch glossy photos, you'll have to feed them into the machine one at a time.

___________________________________________________________

Brother MPrint

This has got to be the smallest portable printer out there. The MPrint family of ultra-portable, mobile printers measure just 6.3" x 3.9" x 0.7", and weigh less than 11 ounces! They produce crisp, quiet, 300 dpi printing on five different media cassettes, including notepaper, self-adhesive labels, and 2-ply carbon copy sheets.

Brother MPrint mobile printers interface with Windows^® notebooks and tablet PCs, Pocket PC, Palm, and BlackBerry devices, and Windows Mobile-based Smartphones. Current MPrint models include: the MW-100, with USB and IrDA interfaces; the MW-120, with USB, Serial, and IrDA interfaces; and the MW-140BT, with USB and Bluetooth interfaces.

Included with each printer is a 50-sheet paper cassette and a built-in, rechargeable lithium ion battery capable of printing up to 100 pages on a single charge. Their compact size, internal paper cassette and variety of output media make them a perfect addition to many mobile applications. Software development kits are available for the major OS platforms to integrate mobile printing into new and existing vertical applications.

_________________________________________________________

Solar Style Solar Charger

Now that you are completely mobile you need to be able to charge those gadgets and let me tell you finding an outlet is not always easy so here is a tool that will help you get the energy you need anywhere.

Recommended for:

·Standard Mobile phones
·Smart phones
·PDAs
·MP3 players
·And other electronic devices with similar or lesser energy consumption/battery needs.
Charger
Output Voltage- 3.6/5.5V
Output Current- >300mA
Dimensions- 107.5x72x22.5mm Weight- 131g
Full Charge- AC/Car= 4-5 Hours Sun= 6-8 Hours
Battery-On-Board (Li-ion)
Capacity- 750mAh
Voltage- 3.7V
mAh- 750
Solar Panels
Output Voltage- 7.0V
Output Current- 180mA(x2)

You do not need direct sunshine to charge, any light will work, and you can continue to charge at night since the energy is stored in the device. It is not waterproof, only works with one device at a time, and though they are working on it the charger can not charge laptops. You can get more information on the Solar Style website.

_________________________________________________________

Sierra Solar Laptop Charger

Because we can't forget about the laptops. Power your laptop when you’re away from the power lines. Two or three- 10 watt PV modules provide enough power to run and/or charge most laptop computers including nearly all Macintosh as well as PC portables. Anywhere you go, just unfold the solar array, put it in the sunshine, plug in a 12 volt DC lighter adapter and you’re set. A 10 foot cord allows you to be in the shade (like under a tree at the beach) while the solar module is out in the sun working. The Notepower solar charger can charge other 12 Volt DC powered devices with rechargeable batteries too. Cell phones and other devices with DC chargers can be plugged into the Notepower solar charger and recharged as well.

Sierra Solar has three laptop chargers checkout the Sierra website for more info.

___________________________________________________________

Cardscan Products

I get so many business cards and most of them end up at the bottom of my bag, to be found weeks or months later. I love this little guy, it plugs into my laptop, I scan the card in immediately (front & back) add in notes on where, when, why and then sync it with my Outlook. Bam!

A little snippet from there site:

• Scan up to 30 cards a minute
• Easy-to-use software is a complete contact management solution, contact information from almost anywhere (business cards, email signatures, web pages and more)
• CardScan puts your contact information where you want it and keeps you in sync (Outlook, ACT!, Notes, GoldMine, Palm or Windows Mobile, Blackberry and more)
• CardScan keeps your contact data safe, securely backing up your data to our CardScan at Your service online service at no charge

Get more info on the Cardscan website

___________________________________________________________

So there you have it....small tech solutions that will keep you organized and Green!!

Vertical Gardens by Patrick Blanc

The other day I got a comment from someone on my Activerain lender blog, of course when you get a comment you like to go check out what they are doing. He is an Eco Broker, for those of you who are new to that term, it means that he specializes in green real estate. Anyway, he had a great post about vertical gardens. I just thought it was the coolest thing! When I was ditching college backpacking through Europe I went to Monaco, you know to see where James Bond hung out, and the most intriguing thing besides the immense amount of wealth were the rooftop gardens. So many buildings had beautiful rootop sanctuariers, and I just thought it brought so much to that city. You have to check out this amazing vertical garden architecture. I would love to see this become the norm for our homes and communities!!

http://activerain.com/blogsview/499576/Vertical-Gardens-taking-green

http://www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com/

Now I don’t know anything about the logistics, types of plants, upkeep, maintenance issues, but I know that when I scrolled through the pictures on Patrick Blanc’s website I wanted to be there. I wanted to sit and have lunch in one of those buildings, I wanted be in my home and look at a beautiful garden wall. What could be more Zen or Fung Shui than that, really what could more uplifting than that!

The only potential problem I see is my lack of a green thumb, I can’t keep a cactus alive…but I am sure there is a way around that!!

Thanks Alex Mordas for doing a post about this!! http://activerain.com/alexmordas

How Green Are you??

Well Al Gore may have been green with envy when he lost the presidential race, but leave it to a politician to turn green into a good thing. When Al Gore came out with his documentary An Inconvenient Truth I wondered what his angle was. I knew about his previous book Earth in Balance but that was published a long time ago, and as we know most politicians turn their good intentions into political agendas, so I didn’t pay Gore much attention when the documentary came out. Then he goes and wins an Oscar and the Nobel Peace Prize who can ignore him now and really if I am honest I do not want to ignore him. I appreciate the books, the documentary, and even his sense of humor which was far from evident as Vice President.

So Gore you started the train and now it is rumbling quite quickly and loudly down the track. I really can’t give him credit for the whole kit and caboodle, one way to get people to listen is to hit their pocket book. Throw in high gas prices, a little recession, some inflation and you have the perfect ecological awareness cocktail. So where do we go from here? Well I for one am looking around to not only do my part by recycling and buying energy efficient appliances, but also at ways to stimulate green technology and industry diversification.
The lagging US economy needs a transfusion and what better way to get that fresh blood pumping then to go green. Green companies, cars, homes, technology, energy, and ultimately communities. This green movement is everywhere and I couldn’t be happier, I happen to look pretty good in green. In my search to be a Green Girl I have found quite a few ways to bring the green in, here are a few of the areas I have found to get a little green.

Green Real Estate: http://www.ecobroker.com/

The EcoBroker green real estate web site is a resource for real estate professionals and consumers looking to buy, sell, or educate themselves on green real estate. The web site has some good resources for converting a home into a green home, buying a green home, or even getting a green mortgage. On the mortgage side the website gives a “snap shot” of the benefits of a green mortgage and then directs you to a few lenders that can help you. The mortgage they are highlighting is the Fannie Mae EEM (energy efficient mortgage) which they say can go up to 115% of the value of your home. What they do not say is that you still need to bring in the minimum down payment required by Fannie Mae and then you can include the cost to convert or upgrade your home into an energy efficient home into the mortgage. FHA and VA also have EEM’s, and FHA actually takes into account the monthly utility bill savings the home owner will have into the qualifying debt ratios.

Green Tax Deductions: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits

The link above has a comprehensive list of what energy efficient tax credits can be claimed by home owners for 2006 & 2007. Though many of these credits expire in 2007 some have been extended to 2008, and if we are smart in this election year we will work to get these type of tax credits/deductions increased and extended further into the future. One important point to take into account is that even if there is no tax credit for energy efficient homes and appliances and initially these products may cost more to purchase than standard models, they will pay you back in lower energy bills within a reasonable amount of time.

Green Driving: http://www.greencar.com/

Whether you are looking for a hybrid, an electric car, an alternate fuel vehicle, or just a smart car, greencar.com will keep in you in Know! This website highlights what is here, what’s coming, and what’s just hype. Qualifying alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) purchased or placed into service between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2010 may be eligible for a federal income tax credit of up to $4,000. Vehicles placed into service before January 1, 2005 may be eligible for a $2,000 clean-fuel vehicle tax deduction. Check with your CPA to see if there are additional tax advantages to owning green automobiles.

Green Gadgets: http://www.greendaily.com/2007/12/19/best-of-2007-8-coolest-green-gadgets/

Now for the tech lover, her are the cool green-theme gadgets to keep your must-have tech toys working. Greendaily.com released their 8 favorite gadgets for 2007 that will lower your electric bill and save a tiny bit of planet earth. This is a great website to help you keep up on just about anything green.

I hope you look good in green as well, because it looks like green is taking over, it’s about time!