Protinus

Photo: Velo Steve via Flickr LEDs are already known for being a super energy efficient way to light up a room, but did you know that they might also be a way for you to connect to the internet? That’s right, a group of scientists from Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute have devised a way to encode a visible-frequency wireless signal in light from our plain old desklamps and other light fixtures . Just think – in the near future, jumping on the interwebs might be as simple as flipping on your lightswitch! Read the rest of Scientists Find Way to Turn LED Lights Into Wireless Internet Source Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Desk Lamp , energy efficient lights , internet from led light , led light , LEDs , light emitting diode , visible frequency wireless , wi fi signal , wireless internet , wireless signal from led light

Italian firm Studiodosi ’s proposed building for the waterfront in Leeds, UK definitely packs a radical punch with its bright green facade, but its sustainable features are just as notable. Named “ The Calls Henge ,” the design was developed for the 36 Calls competition, which challenged architects to submit proposals for a site by the same address

Hanging gardens have become art in Houston’s Lawndale Art Center . Local artist/designer Ned Dodington transformed a stark white gallery interior into a verdant landscape with 30 hanging eco-pods of Fescue and Ryegrass

America is getting its very first wave power farm ! Ocean Power Technologies , a New Jersey-based firm, is currently installing giant buoys off the coast of Reedsport, Oregon . Once all ten buoys are in place, developers hope to use them to harness the energy of wave motion and generate power for hundreds of area homes

You may already know this, but our power grid system has been largely left alone for half a century.

Read the rest of 2009 Green Dot Award Winners Announced Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Green Awards , Green Competitions , green design , Green Dot Award , green products , green transportation , inhabitat , Sustainable Awards , Sustainable Competitions , sustainable design , sustainable products , sustainable transportation

Read the rest of LEED Platinum Vancouver Convention Center has North America’s Largest Green Roof Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Architecture , artifical reef , broadcasting , eco design , ecosystem , green renovation , green roof , harbor , LMN , olympics , Sustainability , vancouver , VCEC , winter , XXI

By now you probably know that your gadgets still suck power from the grid when they are plugged in but not turned on — this phantom power drain can cost you hundreds of dollars a year. But how are the forgetful greenies out there to remember to unplug that charging cell phone right when the battery is full or click off the power bar for the Plasma TV when Mad Men ends

For years, the city of Boston has been considered one of the WORST cities in the world for biking – with no bike lanes to speak of and crazy drivers. Nicole Freedman , Boston’s new ‘Bike Czar’ is hoping to change this with an ambitious program to overhaul Boston’s streets and make them safe and conducive for biking – even bringing the U.S.’s first urban bike share program to Boston! If you are a regular Inhabitat reader, you may remember that we hosted a live webinar discussion with Nicole on Inhabitat this fall, as part of our Green Talks series of video interviews . Our fascinating discussion with Freedman shed light on how urban bike share programs work, and how one goes about trying to turn the worst biking city in the world to one of the best

As battery manufacturers race to produce more efficient lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles , some scientists are looking to make the cars themselves a power source. Researchers are currently developing a new material that can store and release electrical energy like a battery