The Ariel Atom is the only car to ever destroy Jeremy Clarkson’s face:
However, despite its looks, this car isn’t the Ariel Atom:
No, this car is a home-built Ariel Atom clone that’s the end result of a gearhead with a garage and a dream. (And 800+ hours of work.)
Featuring stainless panels from old appliances, black body panels from an ancient kayak and an old doghouse, a throttle pedal from salvaged parts that were the result of a dumpster dive at a local engineering firm, and the k20a3 engine out of a wrecked RSX, it’s also an eco-friendly car that shows that recycling can be quick too.
Specs come in at 4.5 seconds to 60, and 35+ MPG, so it’s not bad in the performance department either.
A home-built dream car pieced together from scraps lying around the house?
Every year, 63 million tons of recyclables end up in US landfills.
Thankfully, technologies like wind sifters, optical scanners, magnets and electrical currents can help to divert up to 75 percent of that waste stream to recycling, conserving landfill space and cutting down on greenhouse gases.
Check out Wired Magazine’s Garbage In, Garbage Out infograph for a look at how Global Renewables hopes to help us rid our planet of needless waste.
The Bird-Electron EZ17-B iPod Recycling Speaker has got to be one of the coolest iPod accessories that I’ve seen in quite some time.
By utilizing the packaging from the 1st & 2nd Gen. iPod Nano or the 2nd & 3rd Gen. iPod Shuffle, you can turn what would normally become garbage into a usable accessory.
The speaker panel simply snaps in place, and then connects to your iPod without the need for an extra power source.
When you’re done, just tuck the wire and the iPod behind the speaker panel, and away you go.
If you recycle (and you should), then you probably separate out what’s recyclable from what’s not, put both on the curb, and never think about it again.
But what happens when you recycle?
How does it work? Is it worth the effort? Is recycling waste just going into a landfill?
The Economist decided to tackle all these questions and more, and put together a great piece called The Truth About Recycling.
If done right, there is no doubt that recycling saves energy and raw materials, and reduces pollution. But as well as trying to recycle more, it is also important to try to recycle better. As technologies and materials evolve, there is room for improvement and cause for optimism. In the end, says Ms Krebs, “waste is really a design flaw.”
Earth Day is today, which means that it’s time to remember that we’re living on a giant spinning orb that we need to take care of. From its somewhat humble beginnings in 1970, Earth Day is now observed by millions of people in 175 countries, and is the largest secular modern-day holiday in the world. The inspiration for ED is that even small changes can make a big difference, so you’re encouraged to take on projects like planting a tree, changing your light bulbs, or focusing on recycling.
If recycling is your project of choice, then check out the Ecopod, a “simple, aesthetically pleasing, and rewarding way to process recyclables”. The home recycling center features removable storage containers for glass bottles, paper, plastic bags, and aluminum cans, along with a child safe “ecostep system” that crushes your cans and bottles down to an easily manageable size. Plus, BMW Designworks designed the pod, so you know it’s going to look good wherever you decide to store it. Being Captain Planet has never been easier.
Some people just see the world a little different. Most of us would look at an empty CD spindle and just see garbage, but Flickr user pkwa looked at it and saw a better use: bagel sandwich holder. Just account for the post in the middle when you’re making your sandwich (cuts holes into your meat and keep the sauce out of the middle), and you’ve got a great way to keep everything together and unsquished until it’s time to enjoy your creation. Eat up.
Apparently Greenpeace has taken a dislike to Apple and is calling for change with their impression of the Apple homepage. Calling them “Poison Apples”, they say that Apple continues to use hazardous substances in their products that other companies have abandoned, and that these chemicals end up being dropped off in third world countries rather than being recycled. They are asking Apple to:
Remove the worst toxic chemicals from all their products and production lines.
Offer and promote free “take-back” for all their products everywhere they are sold.
Considering Apple’s change to smaller and generally less packaging, I think they are taking steps in the right direction, and more environmentally friendly products are always a plus, I just question Greenpeace’s targeting of Apple specifically instead of the tech industry in general. They did do a pretty good job of mocking up an Apple homepage though, I’ll give them that.
Turning an old Mac into a Mac-O-Lantern is definitely the best recycling I’ve seen in some time.
