Solar Ivy (or SMIT Grow) is a spectacular system of thin, fluttering solar panels that generate energy by sparkling in the sunlight. The wind and solar power generating photovoltaic leaves can be easily integrated on the side of a building to produce energy. The concept, designed by Brooklyn based SMIT (Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology), consists of a layer of thin-film material on top of polyethylene with a piezoelectric generator attached to each leaf. When the sun is shining or the wind is blowing, energy is being generated via Solar Ivy.

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Post tags: modular, piezoelectric, piezoelectric generator, renewable energy, SMIT, solar, solar ivy, Wind

Tired of trying to find an outlet to charge your cell phone, iPod, and computer while on the go? Then what you need is a solar powered bag to charge all your devices and free yourself from the grid. Our friends over at Planet Green are giving away 2 Voltaic Solar backpacks each week this summer, and all you have to do is enter you name to win one! The contest just started this month and runs through until December 8th, 2009, so enter today for a shot at winning one of these fantastic Voltaic Backpacks, which have 3 solar panels and are made with fabric from recycled plastic bottles.

ENTER TODAY AT PLANET GREEN >

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Post tags: contest, free bag, planet green, Solar Backpack, solar bag, solar powered bag

This re-covered iPod is almost like hugging a tree, except it fits in the palm of your hand. So perhaps it’s more like giving a tree a handshake and hearing your favorite tunes at the same time. Josh D, from Australia, took his Apple iPod Mini apart and built a brand new case from red cedar to update the otherwise outdated gadget into a stylish, natural, and woodsy example of heirloom design.

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Post tags: Dremel, heirloom design, ipod, iPod Mini, sustainable design, Wood, wood cover

File this under, “Technology I Never Knew Existed,” but Nokia says that in a few years time, they will be able to charge cell phones by using ambient radio waves. This intriguing and exciting technology could lead to huge reductions in energy demand if every cell phone could pull a charge of juice out of thin air.

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Post tags: advancement in cell phones, cell phone technology, nokia charges energy with radio waves, nokia phones, nokia progress, nokia technology

There were whispers all week that Sony Ericsson would be releasing a line of eco-friendly cellphones today - and it turns out that the rumors were true. The telecom giant debuted 2 new green handsets, the Naite and the C901 cybershot phone in a live webcast that took place at 1PM GMT in London today. The sleek new phones are tangible manifestations of the GreenHeart concept phone, which Sony Ericsson came up with way back in 2008 as its way of letting consumers know that it, too, was on the green bandwagon. Those who doubted that the GreenHeart concept would ever come to fruition need not wonder any longer as Sony Ericsson is just about ready to bring their new eco-friendly phones to the market.

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Post tags: c901, cell phone, eco-phone, green cell phone, greenheart, naite, sony ericsson

What if keeping your laptop charged was as simple as setting it out in the sun? That’s the promise behind a brand new netbook that may just break the biggest barrier to ultra-portable computing: battery life. It won’t run graphics-heavy computer games, but iUnika’s new $180, 1.5 pound solar-powered Gyy netbook is ideal for anyone looking for an inexpensive on-the-go computing solution.

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Post tags: "solar energy", alternative energy, green design, Greener Gadgets, gyy, iunika, solar, Solar Power, sustainable design

Ink toner cartridges are expensive, wasteful, and energy-intensive. That’s why Xerox’s new ColorQube 9200 printers are so innovative. Instead of using traditional cartridges, the printers use solid blocks of ink that melt when heated. Xerox claims that its $23,500 machine–meant squarely for corporate customers–can cut printing costs by 60% and eliminate 90% of all waste. And because solid ink sticks don’t have shells, there aren’t empty cartridges to deal with when the ink runs out.

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Post tags: colorqube, copier, energy-efficient printing, phaser, printer, printer cartridge, solid ink, solid ink cartridge, xerox, xerox colorqube

Next time you head to the park, consider bringing a Suntrica wearable solar charger. The Suntrica SolarBadge and SolarStrap are pocket-sized, durable, lightweight chargers covered in flexible thin film solar panels.

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Post tags: green gadgets, solar, solar panels, solarbadge, solarstrap, suntrica, thin film

Most of our modern-day gadgets are swathed in plastic or other high-tech materials, and why wouldn’t they be? Plastic is both cheap and easy to produce. But English Russia’s display of wooden gadgets shows that sometimes the most elegant items are the simplest.

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Post tags: antique, cell phone, cell phones, clocks, gadgets, Greener Gadgets, russian english, Wood, wood-covered gadgets

Charting the future of cell phone technology, Kyocera recently unveiled a kinetic energy-powered phone that is capable of folding up like a wallet. Designed by industrial designer Susan McKinney, the EOS phone consists of a soft, semi-rigid polymer skin surrounding a flexible low-energy OLED display. Shape memory allows the phone’s keys to pop up when in use and blend in with the surface during downtime.

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Post tags: energy efficient design, green design, Greener Gadgets, kinetic energy, kyocera flexible cell phone, oled screen, self charging cell phone, sustainable design

Are your teenage daughters taking way too long in the shower?

Teenagers are known for their lavish morning rituals, and lengthy showers. When Australian Trevor Murphy saw his water bill skyrocketing on account of his daughter, he decided to create a device that would stop the shower after a certain amount of water had been used. His ingenious Aqualim requires no electrical parts and can be retrofitted to any existing showerhead.

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Post tags: green design, greener gadget, resource conservation, shower water use, sustainable design, water conservation, water saving device, water saving gadget

Soon, the water in Gijon, a harbor in Northern Spain will be monitored by robotic, battery-powered fish. These mechanical, articulating sea creatures were designed and tested by the Robotics Department at the University of Essex. At a cost of $3.6 million, through a European Union grant, these fish will test the water for oxygen levels, detect oil slicks and other contaminants pumped into the water. This is the first monitoring program of it’s kind, and the retrieved data could be very important, with implications for global warming and the state of our water sources.

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Post tags: biomimicry, pollution fish, pollution monitoring, pollution-detecting robots, robotic fish, Robotics Department University of Essex

Not to be outdone by Samsung’s Blue Earth and ZTE’s Coral-200, LG recently unveiled its own solar-powered concept cell phone at the Wold Mobile Conference in Barcelona. The prototype, which features a solar-powered battery built right into the back cover, will be able to generate enough energy for 3 minutes worth of talk time for every 10 minutes of sun it soaks in. If left in natural light for longer periods of time, the battery will be able to power the phone for longer periods of time, eliminating or reducing the need for a conventional charger.

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After an exciting round of live judging last week at the Greener Gadgets Conference, we’re thrilled to announce the winners of the 2009 Greener Gadgets Design Competition! Drumroll please……

And the winner is….Tweet-a-watt

Congratulations to Powerhog for second place, the Indoor Drying Rack for third place, and the Laundry Pod for fourth, and read on for more highlights from the judging at the Greener Gadgets Conference.

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Last week’s Greener Gadgets Conference was a smashing success, and if you missed it, you missed out. Inventor Saul Griffith gave a provocative and rousing keynote presentation, with a call-to-action to consumers to start measuring their energy use and designers to start changing the way they make things. The panel discussions were lively and interesting, and as always, the Greener Gadgets Design Competition live-judging was the hit of the conference with spirited debate between audience and judges, and hilarious commentary by Core77’s Allan Chochinov. But if you weren’t able to be in attendance at our fabulous conference - fear not - you can catch up on all the important highlights here on Inhabitat. We live-blogged the whole thing on Friday, and we’ll be posting videos soon. The live-blog is pretty detailed, so if you are looking for a short synposis of the event, read on for highlights >

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