I’m no stranger to furniture made from recyclables. After all, I write about it all the time and I just so happen to sit on my ass for the same duration. Upon seeing Ryan Frank’s design, pictured above, I immediately thought of how comfortable it would be to pass gas while sitting in it. Well, more comfortable than doing so in a chair made from a tire or a wooden stump.

I mean, this thing is made entirely of used plastic bags. The seat itself is made from recycled aluminum, but the plastic bags are what give the chair character. Break wind while sitting in this thing and you’ll float away in more ways than one.

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Netbooks are all the craze these days. Everyone is wondering if Apple is going to hop on the netbook bandwagon and produce a mini MacBook. As of now, no word from Apple regarding that. On the other hand, a member of a German MSI Wind forum just couldn’t wait on Apple. He used a Dremel and six white LCD lights to turn his MSI Wind netbook into a Mac look-a-like.

He even put together a mock commercial of his MacBook mini. You’d think it was an actual Apple product.

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Swedish company Home Energy has not forgotten about our energy independence even if our leaders of tomorrow have.  It’s made a wind turbine shaped as a sphere called the Energy Ball.  Home Energy claims that the shape allows for higher aerodynamic efficiency in comparison to traditional design as well as complete silence during operation.  The Energy Ball comes in two models: The 0.5 kW Energy Ball V100 has a price tag of $4,600 and the 2.5 kW Energy Ball V200 sells for $8,100. The prices might seem steep, but think of the energy you’ll be saving.

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Tuesday night at the National Clean Energy Summit, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City expressed his vision of a cleaner more green New York. He urged the need for energy-efficient design and proposed alternative methods of obtaining power, whether it be by wind or solar means. He goes as far as suggesting to add wind turbines to both the Brooklyn Bridge and Empire State Building, a move that would dramatically change the NYC skyline.

But with good intentions, Bloomberg hopes to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the city by 30% before 2030 making New York the cleanest air of any large American city.  Our hats are off to you Mr. Bloomberg, we wish more leaders cared about our well-being as much as you do.

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You won’t ever live to see this floating ecopolis. This concept, designed by Vincent Callebaut, is straight out a science-fiction film with its ability to float. Dubbed “Lilypad,” this amphibious city can hold around 50,000 people and protect them from floods and bizarre plate tectonics.

The city is designed to draw power from solar, wind and tidal means, which enables it to live in the depths of the ocean like that alien-race in The Abyss.  Concepts like these will hopefully evolve mankind into a half-fish half man species like Kevin Costner in Waterworld.

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Whether you’re trying to score green tax credits or just help the earth out a bit, the $5000 Windspire is definitely the way to go. Designed by Mariah Power, the Windspire comes with all the equipment you need to start generating power from the wind. Due to the vertical-axis the Windspire uses, people in tighter/urban areas will find it fits into tight space.

Though it seems like a great idea and a way to save the planet, it’s certainly not practical. The Windspire towers 30-foot high and has a 2-foot radius.

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So, the HyMini might be much ado about nothing, but it’s still pretty impressive and potentially a great idea for green integration in the future. Dubbed as a “mini green hybrid power station”, you charge the HyMini up from a main. When you go out for a bike or car-ride, attach the little guy to your vehicle, and the wind turbines will trickle charge your device.

You can even add a solar panel on for more of a power managing effect. To move the turbines enough, you have to be traveling at least 9 mph, and 40 mph at the fastest, lest you break the chintzy gadget in half with pure velocity. Ports for most cameras, phones, and other mobile devices are available. Get yours for $49.99. (more…)

Damn, Disney tricked us. We all thought that Mary Poppins was using a regular umbrella when she flew around, turns out they were doing green screens and replacing this SENZ umbrella with the normal one.

Well, maybe that didn’t happen, but the SENZ umbrella solves a problem we have had since umbrellas came around: the wind turing them inside-out. Not only does it look like the professional helmets used in the Tour de France, it probably is based on the same aerodynamics concepts.

The patented asymmetrical shape gives you a perfect sight, while giving you the best rain protection an umbrella can give. No longer will you embarrass yourself for running into telephone poles, cars or brick walls with an umbrella that completely blocks your view!

–Nik Gomez

SENZ Umbrella [via TechEBlog]