Crisp Green » Matt Embrey

Soul Cell Collapsible Solar Lantern

Matt Embrey — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:32:17 +0000

Designer Jesper Jonsson came up with this beautiful photovoltaic powered portable canvas lantern as part of his BFA Thesis at Växjö University. The lantern fold up into a complact square that can easily be stowed away to taken on the go.

A simple twist and pull opens it up into an illuminated canvas cube. There's a strap on the top that attaches with magnets, either as a loop or as a handle to make it easy to hang whether in the open or closed position. It's a good blend of aesthetics and utility, and while it would make a great fixture on a patio, Jesper envisions the portability of the lamp to empower people get outside more...

"It is designed to provide mood lighting in an outdoors environment, to let us continue social activities outside when it gets dark. For example on the balcony, on a boat, or hang it on your bikes handlebar when having a picnic."

For me this would be perfect for camping. Leave it hanging on a branch in the sun all day and use it as lighting in your tent or around the camp site. There is no word yet on when the Soul Cell will be available on the market, but Jesper says he's working on it. We'll enlighten you as soon as we hear anything.

via David Raport

Boeing Phantom Eye: Hydrogen Powered Spy Plane

Matt Embrey — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:00:10 +0000

Last week Boeing unveiled the Phantom Eye, a hydrogen powered unmanned spy plane. The aircraft is designed to be constantly deployed in the stratosphere over a specific area, while providing intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance and communication.

This state of the art UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) is equipped with a liquid-hydrogen propulsion system that powers two four-cylinder truck engines. Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works explains,

"It's basically a Ford Ranger truck engine converted to burn liquid and gaseous hydrogen."

The engines each provide 150 horsepower, combined with a 150 ft wingspan, allow the UAV to cruise at approximately 150 knots while carrying a 450 lb payload. This highly efficient aircraft is also capable of staying aloft at 65,000 ft for up to four days and it's only byproduct is water.

The Phantom Eye is headed to Edwards Air Force Base in California later this summer to begin ground testing in preparation for its debut flight which is scheduled for 2011. Officials expect the first flight to last between 4 and 8 hours.

Boeing is also working on a larger UAV that will stay be capable of staying in the air for 10 days.

Images via Boeing Phantom Works Communications

Natural Wonders: Dean’s Blue Hole

Matt Embrey — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 16:45:28 +0000

A "Blue Hole" is an underwater sinkhole or "vertical cave." Dean's Blue Hole on Long Island in the Bahamas is the deepest known blue hole, sinking 663 ft deep. At the top it is about 100 ft across, but when you drop to a depth of 66 ft it opens up into a 330 ft wide cavern.

I first became aware of Dean's Blue Hole when I saw an awesomely eerie video of freediver Guillaume Nery decending into the abyss (see below). Blue holes are popular freediving destinations. Frediving school, Vertical Blue, dubs Dean's Blue Hole "The World's Best" freediving location...

"Imagine a salt-water swimming pool, with warm, calm waters that run 203m deep, populated by snapper, jacks and colourful tropical fish, patrolled by a school of silver-plated tarpon and visited by curious rays, turtles and tiny seahorses. An underwater cathedral festooned with light and life."

Check out the video:

via Kottke.org

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A Look at the BP Oil Spill: 20 Infographics and Interactives

Matt Embrey — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 02:01:50 +0000

We are two months into the worst environmental disaster we have ever known and the news, information, data, opinions, theories, images, accusations and questions are flowing into our lives at a volume as great as the oil gushing into the gulf. If you are a visual person like me, you'll enjoy this slideshow of the 20 best visualizations of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

Start the Slide Show...

Whale Poo is Good for the Environment

Matt Embrey — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 22:13:11 +0000

New research published in The Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows that sperm whale excrement is actually good for the environment. The iron rich waste fertilizes and nourishes phytoplankton, which in turn reduce atmospheric CO2, turning it to oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. Phytoplankton actually account for half of all photosynthetic activity on earth. Lead author for The Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Trisha Lavery, told Discovery News:

"If Southern Ocean sperm whales were at their historic levels, meaning their population size before whaling, we would have an extra 2 million tonnes (2,204,623 tons) of carbon being removed from our atmosphere each and every year"

All the more reason why we should be protecting these endangered creatures.

More at Discovery News...

Greenaid: Guerrilla Gardening Vending Machines

Matt Embrey — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 22:00:34 +0000

Greenaid seedbomb dispensers encourage regular people to casually become guerrilla gardeners, helping to add a little green to the concrete jungle as they are passing through.

Designers Danny and Kim started Greenaid as a way to engage local urban communities to incrementally beautify their environment. It's a "bottom up" initiative that involves taking old gumball machines, converting them to dispense seedballs that they sell or rent out to business, organizations or individuals that want to green the gray in their community.

Danny and Kim will develop a custom seed bombs from a mixture of clay, compost and seed and a strategic neighborhood intervention plan in response to the unique needs of the vendor's local ecology.

"You then simply place the machine at your local bar, business, school, park, or anywhere that you think it can have the most impact. We will then supply you with all the seedbombs you need to support the continued success of the initiative."

They admit that it's not a final solution to problems of urban environments but they saw it as a fun and interesting way to place emphasis on the actions of individuals and empower them to make small contributions to the beautification of their city.

"We recently built and placed several machines in the L.A. area containing native California wildflower seeds (such as White Yarrow, California Poppy, Lupine, and Blue Flax) and they've been received with enormous enthusiasm from local residents and businesses. We're enlisting your help to deploy a fleet of 12 more machines in underserved communities across L.A! We are in the process of determining the best locations for them, and as a backer you too can have a chance to help us determine where they'll go!"

In order to fund this project they need to raise $10,000 by July 3rd. They've raised $3897 so far through 171 donations with a little less than 2 weeks to go. You can contribute to this project and help them reach their goal by making a donation at Kickstarter.

Common Studios: Green Aid from ISHOTHIM on Vimeo.

The Touch Wood Mobile Phone

Matt Embrey — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:49:22 +0000

Japanese telecom DOCOMO, in collaboration with Sharp and Olympus had developed a touch phone prototype out of surplus wood. The phone, named the Touch Wood (insert sexual pun here), is a great example of sustainable design.

The Cyprus wood case ads a unique look to the phone while potentially offering a more environmentally sound case than traditional plastic encased phones. Unlike petroleum based plastics, wood is a low energy, natural and renewable material.

Rather than pillaging dwindling forests, the Touch Wood makes use of surplus wood left over from forest thinning operations. There are no artificial paints or colors added to the wood, however, this phone is not hand carved. It's made in a proprietary compression molding process and their press release doesn't mention what (if any) chemicals are used in this process.

Its difficult to say at such an early stage how environmentally friendly the Touch Wood actually is, however it is on the right path and will hopefully become more than just a questionably named prototype.