Solar Bag: Love It or Leave It?


Updated 05/29/11 8:35 AM · Posted by · 2 comments

Diffus Solar Charger Bag

Unless you have an external battery pack for your mobile phone, the fact is there are those days you are stuck without any juice. Enter your saving grace: the Diffus solar-charging bag. Of course, there are a number of solar bags on the market already, but this one seems like the first one that infuses fashion with charging technology. The designers have integrated 100 little solar panels into Read more

Casa Verde: BrightBuilt Barn Both Beautiful and Resourceful


Updated 12/22/09 10:00 AM · Posted by CasaSugar · 0 comments

Casa Verde: BrightBuilt Barn Both Beautiful and Resourceful

If someone told you that you were going to live in a house in New England, through the Winter, without a furnace, you'd probably laugh. Yet that is exactly what Kaplan Thompson Architects and Bensonwood Homes did with Maine's BrightBuilt Barn. Judging by BrightBuilt's recent Innovative Project Award from the US Green Building Council, the project is definitely a success. BrightBuilt Barn also Read more

Casa Verde: Pope Benedict Goes Solar


Updated 09/08/09 4:05 AM · Posted by CasaSugar · 0 comments

Casa Verde: Pope Benedict Goes Solar

Still thinking about adding some renewable power to your home? Well, maybe this story will inspire you. Pope Benedict XVI recently installed photovoltaic solar panels in his home outside of Regensburg, Germany. The panels are estimated to generate as much as 5,800 kilowatt hours per year, the equivalent of $3,500 worth of surplus electricity, which will be routed back to the German power grid. Read more

Cool Idea: Ikea's Sunnan Solar Lamp


Updated 03/28/11 1:37 AM · Posted by CasaSugar · 5 comments

Cool Idea: Ikea's Sunnan Solar Lamp

Talk about going green. Ikea's Sunnan Solar Lamp ($19.99) requires no electrical connection, since it gets its energy from solar cells located on the lamp's base, which transform sunlight into electrical energy. Designed by Nicolas Cortolezzis, these cute lamps are available in a rainbow of cheerful colors. Want something else to smile about? For every Sunnan lamp bought from Ikea, the store will Read more

Casa Verde: The Science Behind the Net-Zero Energy House


Updated 06/09/09 3:00 PM · Posted by CasaSugar · 0 comments

Casa Verde: The Science Behind the Net-Zero Energy House

I recently had the chance to tour South Farm Homes, a “net-zero” community, in Hinesburg, VT. The project is a collaboration between Rolf Kielman, AIA and Lee Grutchfield, AIA of TruexCullins Architects of Burlington, VT and Reiss Building of Hinesburg, VT. One of the goals of this project was to show that green building can be user — and homeowner — friendly, which means that the systems Read more

Nice and New: west elm's Eco Storefront


Updated 02/09/09 1:30 PM · Posted by CasaSugar · 0 comments

Nice and New: west elm's Eco Storefront

Today, west elm's newest storefront opens to the public. If you're in the Bay Area, stop by today starting at 10 a.m. to browse the wonderful selection of furniture and accents and to take in the very cool, very eco Emeryville, CA, west elm. What's so eco about it, you ask — and what cool new products did I see when I stopped by yesterday? Check out my slideshow to find out! Photo courtesy of Read more

Cool Idea: Solar LED House Numbers


Updated 10/10/08 11:11 AM · Posted by CasaSugar · 6 comments

Cool Idea: Solar LED House Numbers

Considering how plugged in and geeked out our homes are these days, sometimes it baffles me that the simplest, often most crucial things aren't well-lit. Personally, I'm a big fan of motion-sensor lighting, so when you're walking toward your front (or back) door you won't trip and wind up falling flat on your back. But motion-sensor lighting doesn't help passersby who are trying to locate your Read more

In the News: Grad Student Bakes Green Power in Pizza Oven


Updated 08/28/08 3:10 PM · Posted by CasaSugar · 7 comments

Nicole Kuepper Develops Solar Cells From Nail Polish, Ink Jet Printer, Pizza Oven

One of the main reasons that green power hasn't taken off is its high price tag, but Australian PhD candidate Nicole Kuepper may be changing that. This green-thinking student has discovered a way to produce solar cells using a pizza oven, nail polish, and ink jet printers. According to the The Sydney Morning Herald: Ms Kuepper realised a new approach would be needed if affordable cells were to Read more

Eco Chic: Solar Power Executive Table


Updated 12/09/10 12:36 AM · Posted by CasaSugar · 7 comments

Eco Chic: Solar Power Executive Table

If you read my reclaimed wood bench Before and After, you'll remember that the Oakland-based design-building studio, Because We Can, was hired by SunPower to create furniture for their new office in an old Ford manufacturing building. The reclaimed wood benches that they designed are beautiful, but their job didn't stop there. SunPower, a solar power company, also asked Because We Can to design Read more

Casa Verde: Kristin Davis's Eco Choices


Updated 06/07/08 1:59 PM · Posted by CasaSugar · 20 comments

Casa Verde: Kristin Davis's Eco Choices

If you're looking for inspiration on ways to go eco chic look no further than Kristin Davis. Perhaps better known as Charlotte from Sex and the City, this celeb is surprisingly green in her lifestyle choices. While it's true that she did drive a Beemer to the Sex and the City movie premiere, her BMW was actually hydrogen powered. While hydrogen vehicles are still in the experimental stage for the Read more