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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters use a bike blender instead of a conventional one, in the average month's use, we'll avert the yearly CO2 of an American household.
COCKTAIL FACT
Thomas Jefferson chose not to take out patents for his inventions, believing that every invention should benefit all of society.
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home › tip library › Human-powered Gadgets
Wanna form a more perfect union with the planet?
The Bite
The power's vested in you. Devices that run on pure people power have been around since well before Thomas Jefferson invented the copy machine, but new technology is totally rad-ifying them.The Benefits
- The coolness factor even beats those wigs our forefathers used to rock.
- Amending your electricity use. More than 50% of our energy comes from polluting coal plants, and those typical flashlight batteries contain not-so-green chems.
- A bill of righteous health. Hand-cranking burns only a few calories (around 10 every 5 minutes), but it's still more exercise than doing nothing at all.
Personally Speaking
Four of us are heading to Burning Man in a few weeks, and are dying for the chance to participate in another bike-powered art project.Wanna Try?
- B3 Bike Blender - mount this baby on your bike for electricity-free piña coladas ($349).
- Rival White Mountain Ice Cream Freezer - crank up to 4 quarts of homemade ice cream ($140).
- Stamina InMotion II Manual Treadmill - way cheaper than an electric hamster wheel, but it'll get you just as much cardio ($125).
- Electrilite - combo flashlight and cell-phone charger; 3 minutes of winding gets you up to 8 minutes of talk time ($18).
- Think Tank Paper Shredder - shred your personal docs by hand ($4).
Jul 18,2008
Sponsor
All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Moving Things with Your Mind
Our new managing editor, Diane, made it to the Bay Area Maker Faire in May, and here she is powering a band's electro-equipment just by biking. (She admits she wasn't unhappy when the song she pedaled through ended, not because the music sucked, but because the cycling was pretty hard work.)
While we're on the topic of human power: You don't need Diane's killer quadriceps (or any physical strength at all) to change the world. Even the laziest of the lazy can do it, assuming you don't mind exercising your brain.
Proof? The book Worldchanging, which is filled with some of the most creative solutions to the world's most pressing problems. You can win a copy (printed on recycled paper and carbon-neutral, of course) just by being one of the first 15 Biters to post your 50- to 100-word big idea in today's blog comments. (Sorry, you can't just repost an old tip.) Then, check out AMEX's Members Project, which launches next Tuesday and is giving $2.5 million to fund different world-changing missions.
-Toshio...off to renew my subscription to Good so's I can get into this weekend's Block Party...
While we're on the topic of human power: You don't need Diane's killer quadriceps (or any physical strength at all) to change the world. Even the laziest of the lazy can do it, assuming you don't mind exercising your brain.
Proof? The book Worldchanging, which is filled with some of the most creative solutions to the world's most pressing problems. You can win a copy (printed on recycled paper and carbon-neutral, of course) just by being one of the first 15 Biters to post your 50- to 100-word big idea in today's blog comments. (Sorry, you can't just repost an old tip.) Then, check out AMEX's Members Project, which launches next Tuesday and is giving $2.5 million to fund different world-changing missions.
-Toshio...off to renew my subscription to Good so's I can get into this weekend's Block Party...
Biter Comments...
It's all about reconnecting with the earth and with your community. Anything that is going to inherently make a human life truly better is going to be better for the earth. And what makes a human life truly better is a connection with their community. As communities develop and grow, people become more concerned with taking care of each other (which then translates into taking care of the earth), verses just consuming and consuming more. We are constantly consuming more and more stuff to make up for a lack of connection that we are all experiencing - we need the "stuff" to fill the void. But if we all came together by planning local community gardens, having weekly block parties to share our wonderful veggies, and just took a real vested interest in our neighbors, much of what we are currently doing to the earth could be reversed. Seems a little pie in the sky, but I believe it's totally doable and necessary.
I have pledged to have one car free day a week at www.car-free-days.org. September 22,2008 is World Car Free Day and the site is collecting pledges. The pledge makes me think about how I am using my car and how I can consolidate my driving. It would have a big impact if everyone just gave up one day a wee(more if you are game.).
I guess my "big idea" for saving the planet at the moment is Green Teams. You can form a Green Team at work, or with a group of friends at home. At work, we meet once a month with a topic of focus (this month= alt transportation) and then work on educating and making it easier for our co-workers to make changes in that topic area. Little by little, we are operating more sustainably- and healthier too! At home, a group of friends meets every few months or so for dinner (& organic wine!) to discuss various green changes we can make at home. Its great having the support of a green team- and it creates a wonderful community too.
How many treadmills do you hear whirring at the local gym? Or bikes, or ellipticals? Wouldn't it make sense to use power generated from all this movement instead of using power to create it? Human hamster wheels plugged into the grid. BTW - A Bike that recharges a cellphone makes more sense than a blender.
My way of helping the earth is being vegetarian.
The United Nations Climate Change report mentions that animal agriculture causes more greenhouse gases than transportation:
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html
I love my vanilla soy/almond milk lattes in the morning, and gourmet veggie entrees and desserts.
Always be mindful of who your money is going to support. We all vote with our dollars and sometimes shrug off a purchase at a corporation with large human rights/environmental offenses. The point is to support all the small businesses we can, and to communicate this to others casually. The biggest way anything is accomplished is simply by word of mouth, I believe, so its vital to share with others what we are doing to change the world. They might just get motivated.
I’m writing to promote “Contentment in life”. Contentment is highly underrated. What I'm getting at is if we teach others that one doesn't have to go trek to the Himalayas or purchase that latest High Definition T.V. the size of the L.A. Dodgers "DodgerVision" to find happiness or contentment. Did you ever notice on Monday morning after the weekend most people will say, "How was your weekend," and the hidden agenda in that question is: "I actually want to tell you what I did over the weekend because I'm sure what ever you did sux by comparison.
I think the bottom line is education and word-of-mouth. Yes, my husband and I are doing all the right things...we recycle everything from our household and three other households (who don't or won't recycle for some reason); we create our own compost from our own food waste and we get horse manure from a neighbor; we grow everything we eat and we preserve for later in the year when things aren't in season; we always take our own bags to any store; we buy as much HEMP clothing, food products, soaps, etc., as possible; we show "The Human Footprint" to everyone that steps into our home; we decided not to "breed"; etc....but the vast majority of our community doesn't do these things - and what is worse is that they don't care! So we can talk about "changing the world" amongst ourselves as much as we want, but until we start teaching the rest of the people in our community (not just our friends or peers), we're not going to make much of a dent. My tip: Reach out and teach someone outside of your socioeconomic bubble how to change the world and make it a better place!
We should all lend to impoverished entrepreneurs via microlending institutions, such as Kiva and MicroPlace. A little truly goes a long way when one donates $25 to a budding businessman who just wants to pull himself out of poverty. Plus, you (99% of the time) get all your money back in a year or so to give away again! What a sweet way to end the poverty cycle by starting a giving cycle!
I just started a new job in a small city and I walk the mile to work every day (even in the blazing summer sun!). Some people can't believe I walk a whole mile one way to work, but I think of how I'm benefiting myself, as well as the planet by not driving that measly mile (plus the time I would spend finding a parking spot!). I have also started walking to the closest grocery store with my reusable shopping bag when I need just a few small things. At work, I am trying to educate the students I supervise about being green in small ways. I am hoping to spread the big green message!!
Going "green" is more than buying into the latest trend; it’s about smarter choices that can have a huge impact. Living in the South, those choices are a little tougher to make because there are less options. Instead of being discouraged, I want to change that by serving as an eco-friendly role model!
Instead of using my purchasing power to buy more harmful products, I’ve been making my own! I’m cleaning my home with vinegar and even vodka! I’m also making my own soaps, shampoos, bath salts and body oils with organic essential oils! I’ve never felt… or even looked…better!
I know everyone talks about small changes, but I think that's crucial to mobilize the masses towards better environmental stewardship. For example, I've had a hard time convincing my parents to transform their rather wasteful lifestyles (i.e. not recycling, buying plastic water bottles, eating industrially-produced meats). However, by introducing new ideas one at a time - and stressing that an extremist view is not necessary - they've made some real positive changes. I can't say they're the greenest people in the world, but it make me so happy when my mom send me a text message picture of her new reusable shopping bag!
Our thread is like the Green version of Paying it forward, however, on the greenside and paying it WAY forward w/ benefits to future generations. B.U.D. "Bad Uncle Dave"
The one thing I really advocate to help the planet is as simple as cloth. Yes, cloth, it has been around ever since Adam looked at Eve and said 'what aren't you wearing'. And, it was used to make things like Napkins, Handkerchiefs, and Diapers long before the industrial revolution made them all disposable nuisances. I have used several different types of cloth diapers and wipes on my kids, personally I recomend the All In One Diapers, which velcro on with as much ease as the disposable ones. And, if you have re-usable cloth wipes, it is super easy and good for baby to dash a bit of lavender essential oil in to the wetting solution....plus, it helps negate pesky diaper pail odors.
Personally, I think cloth is limited only by our own personal comfort levels. I have had friends who have re-usable wipes and mama pads for themselves, but I have yet to go that far. I do, however, have cloth napkins and lovely embroidered handkerchiefs, I have to say, they are elegant as well as earth friendly.
Personally, I think that cloth is one of the best and easiest ways to help the planet. Yes, cloth, that indominable material that has been around ever since Adam asked Eve 'what aren't you wearing'. Cloth can be used to replace so much of our disposable society. Cloth Napkins, Handkerchiefs, Diapers, Wipes, you name it, cloth probably fits in there some where.
And it is just as convenient as those disposable baubles. For instance, I have put several different types of cloth diapers on my own two children. Personally, I prefer the All In One Diapers with velcro closures, they are just as easy to put on and take off as disposable diapers, but even pinned diapers aren't that difficult. Plus, you can use cloth wipes, with a little lavender essential oil added to the wetting liquid, it's good for baby (naturally anti-bacterial) and combats those diaper pail odors.
Cloth is only limited by your personal comfort zone. I have friends who have cloth toilet wipes and mama pads, I haven't gone that far but I do have cloth Napkins and Handkerchiefs, and I think they are elegant as well as good for the planet.
One easy and cheap way to make an impact over time is to avoid using electric appliances as much as possible, as suggested by today's tip--but with a twist. Have your kids do the grunt work! You may laugh, because it sounds a little child-laborish, but if you have your kids turn the crank on the ice cream maker, wash some dishes (cleaner ones in cold water only), and stir the dough, you also get a built-in entertainment for them. Most kids love to help, and it's more satisfying for them to stir something than to sit back and watch the food processor do it. It gives them a little bit of a workout, and it has the added benefit of creating less sedentary children. Do your own chopping and other knife-work yourself, however! Parents may also want to boil some water in the microwave and pour it through the cup-top coffee makers to save energy, but once again this is a no-no for kids, obviously. Also, remember to unplug any appliances you do use when you're not using them--they are sucking electricity even when they're not nuking something or brewing something.
Catherine, I guess going cloth is OK, but the more cloth you use, the more laundry you have to do. (By the way, what the heck is a "mama pad"?) Laura, having your kids do the grunt work is a great idea, but not everyone has kids. Rachel's got the right idea, but not everyone has the time and/or the resources to do what she does. Admittedly, I don't use resuable grocery bags myself, and I most likely won't until the markets stop providing bags, either paper or plastic, altogether, but I do collect my plastic grocery bags and when I get a bunch of them, take them to the recycling bin. just as I take my soda cans for recycling. Although I may not use reusable grocery bags, I don't buy bottled water, either. Maybe one balances out the other. We all need to each just do what we can to be more eco-friendly and try not to feel inadequate just because we can't do as much as someone else.
Having lived this past year in Central America, I learned quite a few things about reducing my impact on the earth simply because I had to. When I return to the States, I will definitely be taking cold(er) showers, hanging my laundry on warmish days, traveling by public transport (including for long distances if possible) no matter how long I have to wait for it, walking or biking large distances to get places (basically pretending I don´t have a car), buying locally grown food, and continuing to not purchase things I don´t need. When I travel, I make an effort to support local business and I´m proud to say that all the gifts I´ve bought here for folks at home were bought from cooperatives or directly from the actual people who made them. Having seen how few belongings most people here have, I think it´s most important to ask yourself before each purchase, "Can I live without that?"
"Can I live w/o that?" apparently w/ the rapidly increase in Storage Unit construction that answer to that has been No much too often. Thanks for the Central American perception check Casey. Along w/ Big Box stores, parking lots one of America's saddest legacies will be the Storage unit. The archaeologist will determine death by Affluenza. TOO MUCH!
I was reading about cranking your own ice cream and wanted to share "ice cream" balls from REI. You fill them with your mixture and play with them...throwing or rolling or shaking until frozen. The grandkids love them! We used them on a camping trip.
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Recyleing Rita | July 18, 2008 at 04:22 AM