It’s the most basic innovations which can make the largest impact. The LifeStraw costs about $3 USD and will filter about 700 liters of water. That’s a two liter a day for a year. As clean drinking water becomes more scarce, due to decreased snow fall and changing climate, we may come to rely on less than ideal sources for water. It’s comforting to know that these types of products are being developed cost effectively.

While $3 may not be a whole lot here, in most developing nations it’s more than a days work. This is still a small price to pay to ensure that you and your family are safe from water born bacteria and viruses. It kills and removes 99.999% of waterborne bacteria, 99% of waterborne viruses, and removes particles down to 15 microns. This little gadget requires no electrical power to operate and is compact enough to travel with.

Since we don’t see a lot of innovation happening in the world of surfboard design we were happy to find this new cardboard-core design developed by Mike Sheldrake. Aside from the innovative construction, we love the honeycomb pattern produced by the crisscrossing lattice work of the laser cut cardboard framework. While surfboard construction hasn’t evolved tremendously over the last half century, product and industrial design certainly have. In recent years, corrugated paper construction has become the medium of choice for its light weight, flexibility and relative strength. While many traditional surfing enthusiasts will probably raise an eyebrow most industrial designers will probably wonder why this hasn’t happened sooner. Read the rest of this entry »

This three-wheeled wonder is absolutely rocking our world. The Aptera Typ-1 is compact, but has enough space to fit two people, 15 bags of groceries or even a couple of seven foot surf boards, all while being extremely fuel-efficient. The Aptera’s engineers have developed the most aerodynamic body shape possible to reduce drag and maximize fuel efficiency. According to their website, the Typ-1 can run on battery power for approximately 120 miles, and if you run out of electricity the gasoline hybrid engine will kick in which gets a stunning 230 miles per gallon.

Aptera has scheduled the Typ-1 to hit the streets sometime in November. For a sticker price of $26,900 for the electric version and $29,900 for the hybrid model. To get on the waiting list, click here.

To see more photos of the interior and exterior of the Aptera Typ-1, click read the rest of this entry below.
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We’re a lil’ torn on this post. Nike’s producing some really cool eco-friendly re-releases of the Nike Zoom [BB II Low], this time from 100% marketing waste (material scraps, environmentally preferred rubber and fully recycled cardboard). This however was the doing of Steve Nash, and residing in LA we just can’t show any love for him and his sore back. But hey, looks like the environment is benefiting from him not leading his team to a championship, so we have no gripes with that. Also, while we’re on the topic- Sasha, cut your hair, you’re looking like Euro-Nash out there.

When we saw the wave interactive coffee table called we liked the concept but thought the execution still needed a little work. The gods at Evil Mad Scientist and Because We Can must have heard us, because they teamed up to bring us this beautiful new design dubbed The Ripple.
The top is available in a frosted plex (our choice), clear glass, or you can construct your own top. Under the hood are a series of motin sensing LEDS that light up as objects pass over them. The body is “Made of two 100% sustainable zero-formaldehyde plywoods; a high-quality maple and Medite-II (which is made of 100% recycled wood fiber) it’s also finished with a durable water based finish,” for extra dose of environmental friendliness. We think is this is an obvious choice for your new bar/lounge/club opening. Available from the Because We Can Store for $2,035.

Click Below for more photos.

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As the price of gas continues to sky rocket and we spend more and more time sitting in traffic that moves no where fast, we often think to ourselves that there has to be a better way. As it turns out, so did a group of designers, engineers, city planners, and industry leaders, who have founded an annual summit focusing on rethinking how we get from Point A to Point B.

Hosted by Art Center College of Design, one of the worlds foremost schools for car designers, the two day Sustainable Mobility Summit begins tomorrow with a keynote speech from entrepreneur, environmentalist and author Paul Hawken.

What is sustainable mobility you ask? In a nutshell, “Mobility” means getting people to embrace the idea of “Transit” rather than “Cars”, making it faster and cheaper to get from one place to another. The sustainable part involves doing this in a way that doesn’t harm the environment, creates a minimum of waste, and doesn’t suffer supply and demand issues.

We will be attending this conference, so look to Neu Black for updates in the coming week to find out what the leading industry experts have to say about the future of car design, transportation systems, and how your city will look in the coming years.

For more info check out http://www.artcenter.edu/summit/

Eco-Design in Los Angles is all the rage. So we needed to congradulate Kelly Green Design + Home for it’s exceptional quality and attention to detail. Because we all know, just because it’s “green” doesn’t mean it looks good. Kelly Van Patter opened the boutique with “high design + low impact” in mind, and has really hit the mark.

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Sweden just went up a notch in our book. Supercar maker Koenigsegg has created a biofuel powered car with even more performance than the their standard CCX. The ethanol in biofuel cools the engine and provides a higher octane value. This translates to boosting performance to 1018 hp at 7200 rpm and the torque to 1060 nm at 6100 rpm. At 10.7 mpg of E85, it’s probably not saving the planet but it does contribute to a changing perception of environmental cars as having moved from hippy to rock-star status. -Via Jalopnik

Opportunity Green is hoping to reshape the conversation on living, working, and designing green in Los Angeles this weekend. For Angelino’s, going green is an uphill battle due to a sprawling urban environment and a lackluster public transportation system. While it seems hard to believe this is the first conference like this to be held in Los Angeles, it would seem even harder to believe this won’t be the kick off party for many more in the future.
With their business centric sustainable approach, Opportunity Green founders Karen Solomon and Mike Fynn have partnered up with UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and Sustainable Resource Center to cover issues spanning the gamut from green investment to the future of transportation.
Speakers include Kevin Wall, founder of Live Earth, Graham Hill, Co-Founder, TreeHugger.com, and renowned environmental designer John Picard just to name a few.
They were even nice enough to offer $50 off to Neu Black readers. We just got an email that they are close to selling out, so if your going to go, click here and get your tix.

Dear Silverlake,
You are officially on alert. If you really loved the planet like you say you do, you would order one of Citydoo’s Elektroon bikes. The Elektroon relies on pedal power to get going before the electric engine gets going, and once it does it can get up to 40 mph and go 80 miles on a charge. That means it’s even better for the planet than your moped, and faster than your 1972 vintage schwinn 12 speed. Plus it’s made in France, so that french canadian hottie at the gelatto bar will be all up on your steez when she sees how you roll.