HDB Plans To Use the Sun too

HDB flats

More on using the solar energy, this time by HDB. Yes, our very own Housing and Development Board is planning to use the solar energy to power some of the common services such as the lights, lifts and water pumps. Spearheaded by Housing and Development Board (HDB), the National Environment Agency and the Energy Market Authority, this is part of the Energy Save Programme which aims to bring down energy consumption in all HDB estates by 10 per cent in 5 years. The pilot project is already being done at two locations, Serangoon and Sembawang. Cost is the main concern with some $600,000 being spent on the solar panels and the installation which just covered only 7 blocks. But the results have been very encouraging, registering a 40% decrease in energy savings for the flats involved in this trial.

Way to go, HDB! :)

Eye Power!!!

Imagine lying on the beautiful sand of Sentosa, listening to the wonderful songs from Jolin Tsai then suddenly your MP3 battery went flat, what will you do?

Option 1: Curse yourself for not charging the player and pack up

Option 2: Nothing. I will just sing to myself then

Option 3: Simply charge the player by plugging to your shades and continue with Jolin's 日不落

Charging by the shades??? Well, the SIG or "Self-Energy Converting Sunglasses" allows you to do just that. The lenses contain dye solar cells, which converts energy from the sun into your MP3 player. Simple as that. Designed by designers Hyun-Joong Kim & Kwang-Seok Jeong, there is no word as yet on a commercial release or pricing but I do sure want to try it out.

Source: Tech Radar.com "the SIG"

The Rig Hotel

What happened to an oil rig when it got decommissioned? One of the primary method is to blow it up which will cause deadly consequences to the aquatic life. Morris Architects came up with a brilliant solution. In the recent Radical Innovation in Hospitality, an international design competition, Morris Architects showed us how we can turn an oil rig into a luxurious, self sufficient, eco friendly resort. Named the Rig Hotel, the design was retrofit to the 4000 and more oil rigs in the Gulf Coast. With the consistently strong winds in the Gulf Coast, Morris Architects also proposed using wind turbines to be self reliant.

Now, what can be more exhilarating than waking up with unparallelled view of the ocean?

Source: Radical Innovation In Hospitality "the Rig Hotel"

the interior

Using Garbage to power Garbage Truck

Well, almost literally. In Huddersfield town centre, Britain, an electric garbage truck moves by using power generated by the waste it has collected. Basically, the waste collected is burnt in an incinerator that converts waste to energy and produces about 10MW of power which in turn is used to power the garbage truck.

It certainly is a good way to reuse the waste and given that garbage trucks usually move at slow speed and spend lots of time idling makes it an even more worthy eco-friendly investment.

Electric Garbage Truck that uses garbage to move. Source: Register Hardware

A Degree in Sports in NTU

Finally, a university in Singapore is offering a degree programme in Singapore. Nanyang Technological University will be conducting the Sport Science and Management course as a four year full time direct honours programme. It covers several aspects of studies including Sports Medicine, Sports Psychology, Sports Marketing, Finance,...etc, to prepare students for the developing Sports industry in Singapore.

Sports in Singapore is a budding industry with so many major games due to be held here. These graduates will definitely enhance and support the growth of the industry. For more information regarding the course, you can check out the NTU website here.

If this were offered years ago, I might have considered joining. Sigh. Hi NTU, any chance of a part time degree?

Banana Skin Shines My Shoes!!!

Shoe polish is toxic and often have to be disposed as a hazardous material in some countries, because it contains materials like naphtha and turpentine. So what can be an eco friendly substitute?

Ok, this may sound ridiculous and I'm not sure how many of you will go and try it but apparently banana skin can be used to polish shoes. And based on the feedback when the video was posted, it works! What a way to reuse the waste. (Hmm...Wonder what my CSM will say if I do it to my army boots?)

Video source: videojug

Battleground Earth Lightbulb Game

Source: Planet Green

Ok, shooting lightbulbs in a desert may not sound interesting but it sure is fun when you are bored. Besides, it's definitely more eco-friendly than the real thing. The idea is to rid the world of nasty lightbulbs. Give it a try and see if you can beat my score. I did a 352.