by Lynn Fang

Did you replace your Brita water filter recently, leaving you wondering about how to toss that old filter?

Inside the filter is carbon, which can’t be recycled. And even if you opened your filter to toss the carbon, the outer hard plastic casing can’t be tossed in with your regular recycling.

Beth Terry Leads the Way

For a long time, there was no way you could recycle your old Brita filter. In 2008, Plastic-Free Pioneer Beth Terry decided to do something about this. She wrote to Clorox, now the owner of Brita, asking them about recycling the filters. They claimed the U.S. didn’t have the infrastructure for it, but Beth knew this was false because Brita in Euope had created its own recycling program, independent of community recycling programs.

So she ranted about the issue on her blog, and soon many others chimed in with the same dilemma. Beth started a Yahoo group with other bloggers, which turned into a campaign. She started a website, petition, and even collected used Brita filter cartridges from supporters.

After 16,000 petition signatures, over 600 filters collected, and the support of many other bloggers and environmental organizations, Brita finally figured out a way to recycle the filters.

Preserve’s Recycling Program

Preserve is a company that makes household items from recycled no. 5 plastic, the kind of hard plastic that Brita’s water filters are made from. A recycling system was formed between Preserve, Brita, and Whole Foods. It’s not perfect, since they still have to use new plastic to make new filters, but it’s better than tossing out the filter to a landfill. Preserve also recycles the plastic into their line of household products. The filter ingredients – activated carbon and ion exchange resin – will be regenerated or converted into energy.

Today you can recycle your old Brita filter by mailing it to Preserve, or dropping it off at any one of their Gimme 5 locations (at Whole Foods).

Recycling Instructions:

1. Dry the filter by shaking off excess water and setting it in a dry place for at least three days.
2. Wrap the filter in a plastic grocery bag, which will be recycled.
3. Find a Gimme 5 Drop-off location here. Drop the wrapped filter in the bin.
4. If there isn’t a Preserve Gimme 5 location near you, simply pack your wrapped filter in a box (will be recycled) and mail it via ground shipping to:

Preserve Gimme 5
823 NYS Rte 13
Cortland, NY 13045

by Steve Duda

Some folks just don’t get parking. Slipping into a tight spot induces all manner of angst and trepidation. And parallel parking? In traffic? Are you kidding? Forget it. That takes a certain amount of four-wheel juju that some folks were just not born with.

But what if your car were able to fold itself up into a tidy bundle just two-thirds the size of a smart fortwo? What if the wheels were able to pivot at right angles to facilitate sideways parking in tight spaces? With the application of a few bits of technology, lousy parkers the world over are granted relief. No more parking lot anxiety. The mysterious and perplexing three-point turn has become a thing of the past. Rejoice!

Bad parkers the world over, say hello to your new best friend, the Hiriko. Developed on the drawing boards of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the concept has been brought to fruition by a consortium of seven small Basque firms under the name Hiriko Driving Mobility, with a prototype recently unveiled by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

The Hiriko—which means “urban” in Basque— is scheduled to go into production with a street date some time near the spring of 2013. Production of 20 test vehicles is already under way and trials are set to begin later this year in cities such as Bilbao, Spain; Malmo, Sweden; and Boston.

There are few tech or performance specs available for the Hiriko, but what has been released so far is fairly impressive for a micro city car. Here’s what we do know: The car will run exclusively on electricity. The driver and passenger will enter the vehicle via the single, flip-up door in the front of the car that also doubles as the windshield.

The two-seater has a range of about 75 miles on a full charge and the car’s speed will be electronically limited to a particular city’s limits. So, don’t expect top speeds over 50 mph and when it some to a zero-to-60 time … well, let’s not even go there. The Hiriko is about convenience, utility and a common-sense approach to urban mobility—not squealing the tires on the way to the grocery store.

The Hiriko is powered by four in-wheel electric motors. This is unique in two ways. Because there is not a conventionally connected drive train, the car can perform its most flashy move: folding up. It also means the car has an effective four-wheel drive system, great for bad weather, steep conditions or any situation where just a bit more traction is needed. The car’s steering wheel will be replaced by a joystick or a “haptic” steering mechanism that tugs at a driver’s fingers to suggest steering moves when directed to do so by the on-board navigation system.

The Hiriko’s manufacturers see the car as a city-owned fleet vehicle that folks can rent out on an hourly or daily basis. Already, several cities have shown interest, according to Hiriko, including Berlin, Barcelona, San Francisco and Hong Kong. Talks are under way with Paris, London, Boston, Dubai and Brussels. If you’d like to (very easily) park a Hiriko in your own garage, the estimated sale price will be about $16,500.

by Vivian Nelson Melle

If you are trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle there’s no reason you should forgo your eco-consciousness. There are several items made from sustainable materials that also provide impressive alternatives to traditional work out equipment. From shoes to water bottles, there’s always an earth friendly choice.

Here are a few eco-friendly exercise gear to maintain excitement and motivation for healthy living.

1. Brooks Sports Cascadia

Brooks brand has become one of the favorites of running enthusiasts, but more important, a favorite of vegans and other eco-enthusiasts. The shoes are made with 50 percent recycled products and are quite stunning to look at. The Cascadia is Brooks’s trail runner and a well received sequel to the eco-minded green silence which was a running flat. Brooks is already a popular brand among running and hiking enthusiasts, so the eco choices have become easier sale with many hopping aboard green living.

{CC photo courtesy of greenlagirl on Flickr}

2. Bamboo Towels

You’ve read about bamboo being a vegan-friendly choice, but did you know bamboo towels are known for exceptional softness? Bamboo towels are also popular for their super absorbency which is just what you’re looking for after a hard workout. Why not choose bamboo towels as part of your work out gear whether for showering at the gym or simply wiping the sweat off your yoga mat.

{CC photo courtesy of Uncleweed on Flickr}

3. Injinji Socks

Socks now come in a mind-numbing number of choices and with the new barefoot running generation Injinji makes socks specifically for the minimal running enthusiasts. They also carry traditional socks, but what makes them special is the bamboo line of eco-socks. Besides the comfort factor these socks are naturally antibacterial, pretty cool.

{cc photo courtesy of Steve Wilhelm on Flickr}

4. Klean Kanteen Water Bottle

With the BPA scare making most water bottles suspect, it a relief to enjoy Klean Kanteen as an alternative. The stainless steel bodies are a durable container for outdoor enthusiasts and it keeps cool water cool for longer than plastic bottles. The come in various sizes and decorative varieties. They even have a line specifically for children and even babies. Many bottles are perfect for their lunch system and active lifestyles.

{cc photo courtesy of Pig Monkey on Flickr}

by Jo Borras

There are little Prii, big Prii, plug-in Prii, racing Prii, and now – just revealed at this weekend’s Tokyo Auto Salon – there are full-fledged, fully-equipped, and very Real Toyota Prius camper vans.

Starting with a new, 3rd-gen Prius, the conversion company adds a streamlined, fiber-reinforced plastic shell that expands the Prius’ interior into something that’s, well, livable! The “living area” has room for a small coffee table with booth-type seating and underseat storage which can be converted to a queen-size bed (as shown, below), with an additional “permanent” bed in the forward section (above the cockpit). At the rear of the shell, the Prius RV features a shower/bathroom stall, which seems big enough for (quick) standing showers.

No word, yet, on storage capacities, kitchen amenities, or price – but even if those are minimal (they’d have to be!), this little camper would certainly go a long way towards making cross-country camping trips greener, cleaner, and more affordable if it ever came stateside.

by Lauren Craig

Robert Smith really hates to mow the lawn. I mean, really hates it. So instead of suffering in the heat and getting covered in grass clippings, the 23-year-old engineering graduate from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) built a solar-powered lawn mower that does all the work for him. “I thought, ‘how can I make this more enjoyable?’ I needed to complete a senior project, and this was a really good challenge for myself, to incorporate different technologies and make mowing the lawn easier,” he said.

Smith’s Solar Charged Remote Controlled Electric Lawn Mower (SCRCELM–pronounced “screlm”) is a Black & Decker electric mower fitted with components from an electric wheelchair and powered by two 20-watt solar panels wired to pair of 12V batteries. It can be constructed from materials sourced almost entirely from Lowe’s, RadioShack, eBay and Amazon. Perhaps most importantly, it can be controlled with a remote, while you sit in a lawn chair:

The project is slightly reminiscent of something Rick Moranis would have built in Honey I Shrunk the Kids. But, Smith isn’t just your everyday tinkerer with a degree in computer engineering; he is also something of a video and social media whiz. How many college students do you know that spent their summer break creating an online tutorial showing how to build a solar panel from scratch?

Smith’s website is a wealth of do-it-yourself knowledge, with detailed videos, schematics and parts and tools lists. The SCRCELM project is quite involved; but if you were so inclined, you could build it yourself from the information he provides. There, he tells you everything you need to know–from the size of drill bits to the number of washers you will need.

His instruction videos may not be quite as popular as videos of that Robert Smith, but Smith’s YouTube channel has over 4,000 subscribers, and the introductory video for the SCRCELM project has received over 7,500 views on YouTube since it launched in November.

At the risk of dropping the most 1980?s cultural references ever in an EarthTechling article; he’s like the Bob Vila of do-it-yourself solar power. Smith also hosts monthly contests in which he gives away a 5-watt solar panel to one of the lucky technology buffs, fellow engineering students and solar enthusiasts who make up his audience.

For him, Smith says it’s all about raising awareness about solar energy and its many varied applications. “Mostly, I just want to get people involved in solar energy as much as possible,” he said. “I definitely see solar energy as where we’re headed. The more people are interested, the quicker we’ll get there.”

So far, Smith does not have any plans to commercialize the SCRCELM. But, he has also thought about engineering a solar-powered weedeater or snow plow, and he said he would certainly be open to opportunities to further develop the design.

For now, he is an enterprising young college graduate trying to do something productive while he looks for a job. “I enjoy [making the videos] because I’m a very creative person,” he said. “I like watching the footage from the tutorials and thinking about what the finished product might be. YouTube and Google and video networks are a new way of learning about technology, and another avenue that people can use to build something. I feel like I’ve been able to come up with a way of making a video that people want to watch and that they can learn from.”

Having just finished the project in November; Smith said he hasn’t had a chance to test the mower in the heat of Nashville, Tennessee’s summer. But, he looks forward to putting it to good use, and sitting on the porch while his neighbors mow their lawns the old-fashioned way.

by Christopher DeMorro

It has taken over a century for automakers to get back to their roots, but finally we are seeing some divergence from the obsession with gasoline. Back when motorized transportation first started cropping up, any and every power source was on the table, including steam power. And when I saw this 1894 steam-powered motorcycle, I just had to share it with you.

The Boiler Bike

For a while, steam power held a lot of promise as a power source, but primitive boilers that took forever to warm up essentially doomed the experiment. Even so, the steam-powered land speed record stood for over 100 years, and these days there is renewed interest in steam power from a variety of sources.

This one-of-a-kind motorcycle was built by Sylvester Roper, who reportedly would use coals from his steamboat to warm up the boiler, which sits below a water tank. A water pump was driven off of the rear axle, and a small steam engine would propel the Columbia bicycle-based steamcycle to speeds upwards of 40 MPH.

Unfortunately, Roper died while riding the steamcycle, apparently suffering from a heart attack in the middle of his race bicyclist Nat Butler. So far as I know, this is a unique contraption, never replicated or sold. Since I am a I huge fan of steampunk (if you hadn’t figured it out already) I felt compelled to share this with you, dear readers. And I hope you think it is as cool as I do!

Roper’s steamcycle will hit the auction block this Janaury, though there is no indication of what the expected selling price will be. But who wouldn’t want to ride around with a tank full of boiling water sitting right beneath your genitals?

by Steve Duda

When we last checked in with Italian electric motorcycle makers CRP, they were all about racing, taking part – and winning – the 2010 and 2011 Vice World Championships with their electric superbike. CRP didn’t sell that bike, but they did rent it for a three-day race for about $7,200. Now, however, CRP has announced that their very first street model, the Energica, will hit the market soon.

The Energica, which was recently unveiled at the EICMA motorcycle show in Italy, is an Italian-styled, aggressive street machine that, even when parked, exudes speed. And for good reason, with its racing DNA the bike is built to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible.

The bike’s 100-kilowatt power plant is built upon a PMAC synchronous motor with permanent magnets generating up to 136 horsepower. As you would expect, this setup is a torque monster, delivering almost 116 ft. lbs. on the way to propelling this rocket to a top speed of about 137 mph. CRP boasts that this powertrain delivers 95 percent efficiency and a driving range of almost 95 miles.

Besides pure, heart-pounding speed and sleek good looks, the Energica also comes with some nice touches, including a digital, multifunction LCD dashboard, an LED lighting package, rear monoshock and Brembo front double caliper radial mounted brakes (for when you finally decide to slow down). As you might imagine, these bikes are a limited edition and prices start at $20,578.

by Christopher DeMorro

I love cars, nearly as much as I love women, and for as long as men have worked on cars, they have convinced pretty young things to pose with them. Typically though, women have tended to pose with performance vehicles, from muscle cars to Lamborghinis. These days though, the “hot” thing is fuel efficiency…and Pump Rebels thought it was time to for some sexy, sustainable, calendar girl action.

All the major players are within this $15 calendar, including the Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Chevy Volt, and Nissan LEAF. And you know, it is rather amazing what some good lightining and photography can do to turn a ho-hum looking car like the LEAF into a vehicle that just oozes sex appeal. The addition for a tall, beautiful woman wearing very little clothing also helps.

I figure this post may offend some of you, those who will call me out for “objectifying women” and promoting the sexist idea of women posing with cars.

To those people, I say; get a life. You want to reach the masses and preach fuel efficiency? Try doing it with some beautiful women at your side, and see how much easier it is to spread your message. Furthermore, I fully encourage women to be active in automobile ownership, whether that means changing your oil, and snapping some bikini shots with your new hybrid.

Who says fuel efficiency can’t be sexy? Not this guy, that is for sure. Clink the link below to find out how to purchase one of these lovely calendars for yourself, or a loved one. It is almost the holidays, after all.

by Steve Duda

California-based electric motorcycle maker Zero Motorcycles recently unveiled their 2012 line of bikes, boasting five models, a new powertrain and a battery pack that they claim will last the life of the bike.

The new Zero line includes three street bikes. The Zero S is an aggressively-styled streetfighter which, with the optional battery upgrade to 9 kW, has a range of 114 miles and a top speed of 88 MPH. The Zero DS is a dual sport bike built to handle pavement or dirt roads. The DS has a range of up to 112 miles and a top speed of 80 MPH. For city commuting, Zero offers the Zero XU, a utilitarian bike with storage, a removable battery pack and a lightweight, low-seated frame. The XU has a range of 46 miles and a top speed of 65MPH.

For dirt riders Zero is offering two 2012 bikes. For motocross, track and trail riders the Zero MX offers up to 120 minutes of ride time and top speed of 54 MPH. The Zero X features the same powertrain as the MX, but features lights, mirrors and street legal tires in addition to slightly higher gearing for sustained road speeds.

All Zero bikes feature the company’s new Z Force power pack, which uses a new battery cell chemistry and configuration that is up to 95 percent more energy dense and is rated to 3,000 complete charge cycles — as much as 308,000 miles. All the street models, including the Zero XU, feature new brushless motors and regenerative braking that allow riders to recoup energy during deceleration.

Zero says they’ll begin shipping their bikes in February 2012. Bikes range in price from $7,695 for the XU to $13,995 for the upgraded S and DS models.

A student at Australia’s Swinburne University this week received the James Dyson Award for a device he says is capable of harvesting moisture from the air for use in irrigation, even in the world’s driest places. Developed by Edward Linnacre, the Airdrop is a wind- or solar-powered device that sucks air underground through a coiled metal pipe, where the cooler temperature of the surrounding soil slowly causes it to condense. The device ultimately collects the water in an underground tank before it is pumped back to the roots of nearby crops via a sub-surface drip irrigation system. According to Linnacre, a prototype that he developed in his mother’s backyard was able to produce about one liter of water per day. He hopes the technology can be used for agriculture in even the driest conditions. “There are water-harvesting technologies out there, but there’s very few low-tech solutions,” he said. “A low-tech solution is perfect for rural farmers, something that they can install, something that they can maintain themselves.” The James Dyson Award recognizes student engineering and design projects that solve a problem.

Watch a video

Photo by Design Buzz/flickr/Creative Commons