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From the monthly archives:

September 2007

The Matra MS1 Electric Bike

September 30, 2007

This could be a great commuting machine — it’s an electric-powered bike designed by the French company Matra. The bike was recently introduced at the Paris Motorshow. It has a range of 60 miles, in addition to the mileage you add by using pedal power. It has a top speed of 30 miles per hour, [...]

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Highly Efficient Hemp Shoes by Lafuma

September 30, 2007

This shoe, the Greenley 2 by Lafuma, is built with highly effective and sustainble materials. The uppers are made of hemp and the lining is a cotton canvas. The shoe also has a removable footbed of tanned leather (made without VI chromium or latex), and natural rubber sole. It is part of Lafuma’s Pure Leaf [...]

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Hyperefficient Transportation: Utility Bikes and Bike Trailers

September 21, 2007

Utility bikes or “work bikes” are very efficient vehicles for transporting cargo (and children too). They are quite popular in bike-friendly places like Amsterdam, Copenhagen and China. Bikes can tow a remarkable amount of weight. Loads in excess of 880 pounds (400 kilograms) have been hauled behind bikes along flat surfaces. Generally though, 300 pounds [...]

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The Greenest Web Host

September 15, 2007

The Greenest Host is a web host that claims to be the greenest. The company certainly has some green credentials to back up such an assertion. They are based in San Francisco, and they run their service from AISO.Net’s solar powered datacenter. That’s right — AISO’s entire datacenter is powered by its own array of [...]

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Solar Boat Sets Sail Again

September 13, 2007

The Gisborne family has completed a 12-day trip on their solar-powered electric boat, the Loon. The Gisbornes travelled the Erie and Oswego canals for 12 days before reaching Albany, New York. Monte Gisborne, the captain, said this will mark the first time anyone has traveled an American canal system using solar electric energy as the [...]

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Optimal Material For Mattresses: Natural Latex

September 12, 2007

I’ve come to the conclusion that natural latex is the optimal mattress-making material. I’ve tried all kinds of mattresses: goose down, wool, foam, cotton futons and box spring mattresses. But I have to say that my first few nights sleeping on a latex mattress were the most comfortable I ever experienced.

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Volvo Unveils A Plug-In Hybrid

September 7, 2007

Volvo is unveiling an innovative plug-in hybrid at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The ReCharge Concept is a specially designed Volvo C30 with individual electric wheel motors and batteries that can be charged via a regular electrical outlet. When fully charged the Volvo ReCharge Concept can be driven approximately 62 miles on battery power alone before [...]

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The Most Efficient Candle: Palm Oil Candles

September 6, 2007

Most candles commonly found in households are made using low-grade paraffin (a petroleum by-product). They contain many impurities which are emitted into the air as the candle burns. These low-quality candles also tend to use wicks which are made with a metal core like zinc or possbily lead. This is not optimal. A good alternative [...]

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Lithium-Powered Electric Car Now Available In U.K.

September 6, 2007

This month sees the launch of the Elettrica, the first production electric car on the UK market with the option of a lithium power supply. The car is said to provide almost twice the range of other small electric cars at 70 miles. Lithium-ion batteries are more commonly found in laptops and mobile phones. They [...]

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