Southwest has unveiled a ‘greener’ Boeing 733-700 airplane that will serve as a test for potentially fleet-wide changes. The plane uses: recyclable carpet, lighter seat covers, lighter life vest pouches and seat foam .
The weight reduction is about 5lbs per seat and about 500lbs total for a savings of 9500 gallons of fuel per year. Well done Southwest.
Electric car maker, Tesla Motors, unveiled their 2nd all-electric auto this week, the Model S. Their first model, the Roadster was (and still is) sold for over $100k. Despite the price, there is still a waiting list for these cars.
The Model S will have a more down-to-earth price tag of $50k (with an approximate federal tax credit of $7,500). This may still seem like quite a hefty price tag as compared to hybrids, but bear in mind that this is an all-electric car, so no more buying gasoline, although you will probably be faced with a stiff battery bill every 3 to 5 years.
Notable in this announcement is the fact that Tesla is actually expanding and growing (building a new plant in particular) despite the downturn for the other traditional automakers. Good for them – there is hope yet for a green revolution in transportation yet and sooner than may have been first imagined.
Feeling green while you’re in the shower? Hopefully it’s not because you’re dirty, and you just like helping the planet out. If you’re an environmental freak like some of my friends are, then this wireless and energy-efficient shower light is just the thing for you.
Made by Sylvania, the shower light is powered solely by water. Of course, that’s probably a good thing considering lots of electricity from your home outlet and water usually don’t mix together too well – something will usually end up burnt!
The cool thing about this shower light is that the light color will change depending on the temperature of the water. That way you won’t ever get the shivers if the water is too cold, or hop out of the shower screaming because it was burning hot. Intuitively, a red light means hot, and blue means cold.
Additionally, there is an on and off switch for the light if you don’t care for it. It appears to be a pretty easy install, with many reporting it taking only a few minutes.
Stats:
Price: $39.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)
We’ve featured a number of sites that will either recycle or help you recycle your old electronics and gadgets, but here’s one with a twist. If it’s relatively recent (based on their database of items on their site), they (Gazelle) will pay you some cash to take it off your hands. They then either resell it or recycle it.
So far, they have a fair # of items in their database with prices attached, items like cell phones, GPS devices, cameras, game consoles and MP3 players. But don’t expect to get a lot of cash for your items. Unless it’s something hot like an iPhone, you’ll get some nominal return. The bright side is that if you’re a gadget junkie who is constantly replacing your stuff, then this is a great way to not completely lose your shirt every time you turn over your arsenal.
Looking like something out of a cartoon, the Eco Brolly umbrella is a frame that folds up neatly into a tiny package, but has no actual covering when you unfold it. That’s where old newspapers come in. Just attach them to the frame. Voila – instant umbrella!
