Smart design meets city lights in these solar-powered LED street lights by Phillips. Inspired by how flowers open up to the sun to collect the sun’s energy, the Sustainable City Lights feature photovoltaic petals that open during the day to collect the sun’s rays and transform them into energy. Then at night, the light closes and LED lights turn on to brighten city streets.

Designed for the Phillips Simplicity Event in 2008, the Sustainable City Light is an intelligent outdoor lighting system meant to enhance city life by providing accurate lighting on demand as needed. The LED lights feature motion sensors that are triggered once the sun sets by individuals walking in close proximity to the light. If no one is around, the lights conserve energy by remaining off.

Powered by the sun, the street light blooms open during the day to collect energy through its solar panels. The five solar panel petals generate more than enough power to keep the lights on and any extra power is fed directly into the grid for use elsewhere.

Top Ten Green Building Trends for 2010:
1. Green walls — Green roofs were all the rage in 2009 – and their numbers will continue to grow – but why stop there? Incorporating green walls into a building’s design creates additional opportunities to reap the benefits of vegetative surfaces: added insulation; reduced stormwater runoff; absorption of pollutants; natural habitat for birds, bees and butterflies; and reduced outside noise.
2. Living Buildings — More comprehensive than LEED Platinum and beyond net zero, the Living Building Challenge is the highest standard of sustainability in the built environment. Functioning as complete, natural and self-sufficient systems, Living Buildings represent a radical step forward in green building when there is growing consensus that the time for baby steps is past. 2010 will be a big year for Living Buildings; four years after the launch of the Challenge, the first Living Buildings are finally expected to be certified.
3. Green retrofitting — President Obama is planning a new federal economic stimulus plan that will train workers in home energy audits and green retrofits. New and green is sexy, but the bulk of the opportunity to address energy efficiency lies with our existing inventory of buildings.
4. Indoor Air Quality — With one in four Americans suffering from allergies and/or asthma and with Americans spending 90% of their time indoors, tighter and more energy-efficient homes demand more attention to IAQ. The EPA has updated rules coming on line in 2010 with new requirements for remodeling work to reduce the harmful impacts on children and adults.
5. Green neighborhoods — An individual green building is great, but again, why stop there? It’s time to make the whole neighborhood green too. Walkability, transit-oriented development, smart growth principles – all elements of a green neighborhood.
6. Green modular — Mostly factory-built and assembled onsite, modular housing poses several benefits – monetary savings, reduced material waste and less time on-site, for starters – that will propel the green building movement forward in 2010.
7. LED lights — Commercially and in homes, LED lights will become more mainsteam in 2010. Previous problems in design and distribution are being corrected. And even though LED lights are still a little pricey, consumers are getting savvier about the life cycle assessment of the products they choose, as well as the long-term pay-off of using a more sustainable lighting alternative.
8. Environmental labels — Like the nutrition labels on food, green building labels offer easy-to-digest data and performance metrics for building materials.
9. Performance counts — We’ve seen the modeling for green buildings, now we want to see some results. In other words, prove it! In 2010, expect to see more and moe studies from academia, non-profits and corporate America that document the rental premiums, cost savings, health benefits and long-term investment value of green.
10. Updating community and homeowner association rules — Rules hindering environmentally-friendly behavior are being overturned: clotheslines are back, white roofs are okay, and compost bins and recycling containers are a point of pride, rather than hidden away.

Originally Posted on www.enn.com

The ubiquitous incandescent light bulb has come a long way since its invention 130 years ago and is now the star of Tim Fishlock’s memorial art piece entitled What Watt? This dazzling chandelier speaks to the transition away from the widespread use of old school bulbs towards greener, more sustainable alternatives. Talk about a bright idea!

These sparkling lightpieces aren’t just gorgeous to look at — they also send a message to both the unknowing energy-eater and the conscientious energy-preservationist. Constructed using 1,243 suspended retired bulbs, and illuminated at the center by one low-energy fluorescent bulb, each chandelier is a truly stunning example of eco-art.

“It is a memorial and celebration of the humble incandescent bulb” says Fishlock, who anticipates the complete replacement of all forms of incandescent lighting for more energy efficient methods by 2011.

Here’s another reader submitted idea that really got a hold on us. In dcannam’s own words:

“The Clamplamp explores the concept of “truth” in design where the main objective is to create an object which primarily utilizes the functionality of a solid unfinished hardwood rather than a system of foreign components. The lamp itself consists of a solid maple base and free moving cantilevered arm, LED strip, wire and transformer. The entire system is compression fit with no glue or screws holding the lamp together. During the design process the lamp was questioned almost to the point of interrogation where it eventually broke down and revealed the truth about itself.”

We’re not sure about that last part but we love the Clamplamp’s clean look and simple appeal. Thanks dcannam!

We compiled 10 of our favorite easy and inexpensive ways to conserve energy. Challenge yourself in 2010. You’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish.

1. Reuse your water bottle. Avoid buying bottled water. In fact, make it your goal to  reuse everything at least once, especially plastics.

2. Use LED Lighting or other energy efficient lighting- can cut lighting energy consumption by 80%! AND Turn off lights and electronics when you leave the room. Turn off energy strips and surge protectors when not in use (especially overnight)

3.  Use sleep mode/function- An average household can cut 60% of the energy their electronics use by using the sleep mode

4. If you use plastic grocery bags, recycle them for doggie poop bags or for small trashcan liners.

5. Go paperless. Consider reading your newspaper and magazine subscriptions online. Switch to electronic banking and credit card payment, too.

6. Recycle your technology. Dell, Hewlett Packard, Apple, and IBM, among others, offer recycling programs.

7. Turn down your thermostate–Turning it down one degree saves about 2% on your heating bill. Turning it down 5 degrees saves about 10 %. Install a programmable thermostat and it will do the work for you.

8. Save Water….Don’t run the water when brushing your teeth or cleaning dishes. Fix leaky water faucets! Fix Leaky Water Faucets- 30 drops of water per minute can waste up to 50 gallons of water per month. Thats 600 gallons per year!

9.  Carbon Zero Calculator and in less than five minutes, you can measure and then offset your carbon dioxide emissions by planting trees.

10. Whenever you can use green products and green cleaning products. Every little bit counts!

This year, small business owners have pledged to go green in their office spaces, and US entrepreneurs are paving the way with increased participation in national LEED certification programs. The programs reward buildings for achieving green standards through use ofenergy-saving light bulbs, low-flow toilets, and more.

In spite of this strong showing from American offices,Philips recently gave one UK office building a leg up in the green race by making it the first ever entirely LED-lit commercial building. Compound Semiconductor reports that Tower 42 in London now boasts 100 percent LED lighting.

Moreover, the source predicts that this innovative lighting project will inspire more management agencies around the globe to adopt LED bulbs as their primary lighting solution. The LED lights will not only promote corporate responsibility and cut energy costs, but they will also help reduce carbon emissions.

In the UK, the conversion of this single building to all LEDs is expected to have a significant impact on the nation’s carbon emissions. Rick Hamburger, director of segment marketing at Philips Lumileds, told the source Philips is “delighted” that its “LEDs are enabling luminaires that deliver energy and maintenance savings without compromising the lighting solution, effectiveness or customers’ experience.”

The company hopes that the entire lighting industry will soon shift to LEDs in light of bans in incandescent light bulbs. It has already invested heavily in reducing the price of these bulbs and offering more user-friendly color options.

Originally Posted on February 11, 2010 on www.elightbulbs.com

US Lighting Products is now the place to get your Wobblelight®

BRIGHT, DURABLE, and VIRTUALLY INDUSTRUCTABLE.
WOBBLELIGHT® is the self righting, high-output work light / task light that takes a beating from workers, vehicles and debris at any Construction Site. Internal ventilation keeps surfaces cool enough to touch making WOBBLELIGHT® a great alternative to Halogen Lighting and Fluorescent Lighting. Use individually for standard Task Lighting requirements or string them together to light up large work areas.

WOBBLELIGHT® IS DURABLE, PORTABLE, and CONVENIENT
NO tending and NO mending as WOBBLELIGHT® meets OSHA lighting requirements for Indoor and Outdoor Construction Lighting. Provides up to 15,000 hours of continuous use through rugged Metal Halide bulb technology. Easily moved as your jobsite grows and changes. Just grab and drag, offering truly Portable Temporary Lighting!

NO SETUP, JUST PLUG IN AND SEE!
Perfect for Construction Lighting and Task Lighting WOBBLELIGHT® has found it?s place amongst tools on any construction site. Use for Indoor Lighting, Temporary Lighting as well as Outdoor Lighting as an alternative to Outdoor Flood Lighting as well as Deck Lighting and Patio Lighting. WOBBLELIGHT® is a durable and convenient alternative to Halogen Lighting and Fluorescent Lighting offering so much more than traditional Industrial, Professional, Recreational and Construction Indoor and Outdoor Task Lighting.

A Congressional Luncheon Briefing discussed how, with energy-efficient technology becoming a government priority, cities across the country are investing in greener lighting sources. A Congressional Luncheon Briefing later this week will discuss how, with energy-efficient technology becoming a government priority, cities across the country are investing in greener lighting sources. The Optical Society (OSA), in conjunction with the House of Representatives’ Research & Development (R&D) Caucus, hosted a Congressional briefing on November 12 to discuss how solid-state LED lighting can significantly reduce the amount of energy used for residential, commercial and street lighting.

A panel of experts  discussed current and future LED technologies, why municipalities across the country are switching to them, cost savings associated with LEDs and the role of government in LED-related research.

Speakers were:

Andrew Brix, Energy Programs Manager
City of Ann Arbor, Michigan
Topic: Ann Arbor: An LED City

James Brodrick, Solid-State Lighting Program Manager
US Department of Energy
Topic: Solid-State Lighting Program Overview: Moving SSL from Lab to Market

Mathew Sommers, LED Design Manager
GE Lumination
Topic: Green Lighting, Inside and Out: LED Lighting Examples

Alex Fong, Senior VP, Life Sciences & Instrumentation
Gooch and Housego
Moderator

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has prioritized investing in energy-efficient technologies and reducing the cost of high-performance lighting products. Continuing advances, with the support of federal funding for energy efficient technologies, can accelerate progress toward creating a US-led market for high-efficiency light sources that save more energy, reduce costs and have less environmental impact than conventional light sources.

LEDs use half the energy (or less) and last 10 to 12 years longer than conventional bulbs. Additionally, LEDs contain no mercury, unlike compact fluorescent light bulbs. Studies suggest that a complete conversion to the LEDs could decrease carbon dioxide emissions from electric power use for lighting by up to 50 percent in just more than 20 years. Lighting uses 22 percent of the electricity and 8 percent of the total energy spent in the United States, according to government reports.