The Chic Ecologist

A Green New Year – The Eco-Friendly LED Times Square Ball

Last year the Times Square ball underwent a green renovation, replacing the old incandecent lightbulbs with 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel energy efficient LEDs. Not only does this allow for a greater savings in energy, it also provides countless patterns using 10 million different colors refracted through 2,668 Waterford Crystal panels. The ball also received an upgrade giving it 20% greater efficiency making it the greenest its ever been using the same amount of energy that would be used from two household ovens.

Reminiscent of The Green Microgym, this year features a eco-frienldy renewable people-powered 2009 sign. Revelers can already pedal on bicycles in Duracell’s Times Square “power lodge” to generate energy for the sign.

While not the best display of energy savings, it is a great innovative way to get people excited and spread the word about new green technologies.

[via inhabit]

Tags: Energy, energy efficient, LED

Google Spooks you into Saving Energy

Google is putting something really scary on their website, your energy bills. Calculate your energy costs, and what you can do about them. From energy going up the chimney, to energy leaching computer zombies, a few suggestions could exorcise your energy demons. Visit the site to get into the holiday mood, and save a lil’ change too.

[via treehugger]

Tags: Energy, energy efficient, google

The Energy Seed – Light from Used Batteries

Used alkaline batteries are a bad thing when thrown in the trash. They leech toxic chemicals out into the landfills, oceans, streets, or wherever they are discarded. Here comes a beautiful (although optimistic) solution in allowing for easy system for recycling and efficiency from Sungwoo Park & Sunhee Kim. Most ‘dead’ batteries are just running too low to power our devices, but they still have energy. This light/recycling station can utilize the remaining power left in the battery to light up a corner, subway, bus stop or even better, integrate them into lighted vending machines.

The Energy Seed is a demonstrative technology in efficiency and recycling ideals, but presents just as many problems as it solves such as battery collection, reliable lighting, vandalism, etc. I applaud the idea and design and feel that it is a very creative solution for a hidden problem.

Tags: batteries, Design, efficiency, Energy, Energy Seed, lighting, power, recycling