If you’re a maker just starting out your journey in sustainability, it can be overwhelming to figure out how to get started. From understanding the types of materials to utilize, learning what steps will help reduce waste and emissions, and finding inspiring new ways to explore creativity that don’t have a negative environmental impact. The good news is there are plenty of resources available for DIYers looking for ways to make their projects more sustainable – from simple switches you can make today, big-picture ideas for longterm change, or exciting new ways makers are helping push sustainability into the future. In these blog posts we’ll look at tips tricks and ideas specifically tailored towards diyers and makers on the road to creating projects with greater eco consciousness so that not only will you create something beautiful but also respect its impact on our planet!
This weekend Marc Geller of Plug In America and I were interviewed by Nikki Bloomfield for EVCast, a biweekly podcast about Electric Vehicles. Host Nikki Bloomfield is joined by lifelong educator Chris Connors from MAKE Magazine and Marc Geller, EV advocate and blogger from Plug in America. They discuss encouraging young people into the world […]
By way of the Evil Mad Scientist Labs’ monthly Linkdump come these wonderful examples of beehive art, built by the bees themselves, with a little help from a scaffolding of wire and hive frames, constructed by the artist/beekeeper, which the bees then build out with honeycomb. Nifty. Beeswax art and design
AMP Motor Works is a company set up to convert the mass produced Saturn Sky to an Electric Vehicle. AMP claims that the Sky EV gets 125 miles per gallon equivalent fuel economy based on how much energy it takes to charge the batteries. At current energy prices, this will cost you around 3 cents […]
[Photo via ESPN] If you want to drive like a rocketeer, or maybe you just don’t want to be bothered with checking your air pressure, then take a look at the Tweel. Airless tires could solve a number of problems associated with pneumatic tire technology. The Tweel, an experimental tire and wheel combination developed by […]
[Photo from AIDG on Flickr] XelaTeco is an organization that helps gather and distribute technologies in the communities of Guatemala. Xeni Jardin covered the story with photos and audio on NPR’s Day to Day. Xela Teco builds environmentally friendly technology that can be used to bring survival basics to poverty-stricken villages in the Mayan highlands: […]
[Photo from Connors934 on Flickr] For this final installment of our Make: Green series, we look at a promising technology for generating electricity: wind turbines. A wind turbine consists of a propeller, a generator, and either an inverter or storage system. The propeller is essentially two or more airfoils attached to a hub. When the […]
I was out to dinner the other night with O’Reilly/MAKE’s Brian Jepson, his wife Joan, and our new Make: Online author Kipp Bradford. We were talking about the awesome Thames & Kosmos science and tech kits we carry in the Maker Shed. The conversation inevitably turned to chemistry kits of yore, the beloved kits of […]
