Five Inventions That Can Green Up Our World

 Invention  

Can invention be good for the environment?  Here are five examples of green technologies that may have a big impact.

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reserving the environment is on everyone's mind. Lofty goals of restoring endangered animal populations and returning waterways and the air we breathe to a healthier state are in the headlines. However, it's not necessary to search for sea turtle nests or pick up trash along a distant river to have a positive effect on the planet's ecology. These five innovations are sure to reduce our environmental footprint right where we live.

The Yellow School Bus Goes Green

Jonny Cohen wasn’t your average 12-year-old. On his way home one day, the science buff started thinking about how environmentally unfriendly school buses are. School buses only get four to six miles a gallon and cost $6,500 in diesel fuel per vehicle a year. Jonny came up with a solution ingenious in its simplicity: affix a Plexiglass cover over the windshield to reduce drag. Five years and several modifications later, Jonny’s brainchild has been shown to improve fuel economy by 10-20%.

At a cost of $30, the GreenShield sounds like a win-win situation for schools, the environment, and education: money saved could be channeled back into learning. While approval from the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency remains an obstacle, Jonny and his team are determined to make green school buses a reality.

A Laptop Made from Bamboo

ASUS is no stranger to environmentally-friendly computers, but the U-series may be the best one yet. Bamboo makes up the frame and even the trackpad, reducing the ecological impact of the laptop’s disposal. However, quality is not sacrificed for environmental friendliness: the devices boast Intel processors and have USB 3.0 connectivity as well.

A Really Green Way to Clear the Air

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Plants are expert air purifiers, removing carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, and other undesirables from our inner environments and releasing oxygen in exchange. Capitalizing on this quality, the ANDREA: Plant-based Air Purifier
takes in air via a fan, sends it through the greenery’s leaves and roots, through the soil, and out again into the living or working space. The icing on the cake? Your favorite plant can become an active partner in keeping the air breathable.

Green Communication

Samsung has produced a mobile phone that is a true ecological wonder. It’s solar-powered, but that’s only the beginning. The Blue Earth is made from recycled water bottles, and it features a pedometer that informs you how much less CO2 you’ve released into the environment by walking rather than driving.

Showering Green

That daily shower is a household’s biggest water and energy waster. This fact led Peter Brewin, an English industrial-design student, to invent a shower that does not merely recycle water; it’s a waste disposal marvel. To meet regulations that stipulate that shower water must be drinkable, the inventor developed a small-scale treatment plant that purifies and reuses 70% of the liquid.

Since Brewin’s system heats much less water, it runs on 40-70% less energy. And the bigger picture is even more exciting: an average household might go through up to 32,000 fewer gallons of water a year. That translates into a community treatment facility saving of more than 200 kilowatt-hours of energy annually.

Protecting and preserving our environment for ourselves and generations to come is within our power. It only takes a little dedication and a few great ideas to make the planet a healthier, more beautiful place.



SOURCE  Information credited to King Recycling & Waste Disposal Inc waste disposal in Brampton, ON.

By Kara Masterson

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