[ preview of upcoming feature ] 2012 brings in a new energy-saving lightbulb [ see background ] standard. In anticipation many light bulbs sold in the U.S. will typically use about 25% to 80% less energy and thereby meet these new standards, including incandescents, CFLs, and LEDs, and are already available for purchase today. The newer bulbs provide a wide range of choices in color and brightness, and many of them will last much longer than traditional light bulbs. The bottom line, all bulbs must be at least 25% more efficient by 2014. The incandescent bulb ( 1879 – 2014 ) is not expected to survive, going the way of the dodo bird.

[ background: energy independence and security act of 2007 ]

In 2007 the U.S. Congress passed legislation to ban the incandescent light bulb via the bipartisan Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007). The phaseout officially begins with the 100-Watt incandescent light bulb on January 2012 and ends with the 40-Watt bulb in 2014. [ note: the Act remains in place but in January congress pulled funding to enforce the law. ] Light bulbs outside of these requirements are exempt from the ban. The bill mandates that all light bulbs must use 30% less energy by 2014 and by 2020, all light bulbs must be 70% more efficient than bulbs used in 2007 and produce a minimum of 45 lumens per Watt.

[ need-to-know terms when buying a bulb ]
LUMENS
The amount of light a bulb produces. This is “brightness” or “light output.” Your reference point: A standard 100-watt incandescent produces about 1,700 lumens.
WATTS
Not a measure of brightness but a measure of how much energy a bulb consumes to reach its claimed brightness.
WATT-EQUIVALENT
Sure to confuse, here’s how the LED’s are going to be presented: If a 100-watt incandescent produces 1,700 lumens, and a 20-watt LED does the same, the LED will be sold as a 100-watt equivalent.
EFFICACY
The number of lumens a bulb produces for each watt it consumes. The higher the number, the more efficient the bulb. A good number for incandescents is around 18, CFLs around 60, and LEDs around 54.
BULB LIFE
LEDs dim over time. They’re considered effectively dead when they produce no more than 70 percent of their original brightness. For LEDs, this lifespan is given in hours or years, the latter an estimate based on three hours of daily use.
ENERGY COST
Based on an assumption of three hours of use per day at 11 cents per kilowatt-hour. For a 60-watt incandescent, it’s just over $7 per year. CFLs and LEDs both come in at about $1.50 per year.
COLOR TEMPERATURE
Expressed in degrees Kelvin, this is how we measure things like soft white or daylight. A pleasant soft white will have a color temperature of 3,000 K. White light ranges from 4,100 to 6,000 K, roughly equal to midday sun. Higher numbers get increasingly blue.

[ coming: bulbs to choose from, and more ] [ philips $10 million L prize bulb ]

All three chargers (for home, travel and car) shut off automatically when your phone is fully charged, putting an end to phantom energy as well as ‘top-off stress’ on your phone’s battery (yes, even your phone gets stressed out). While it’s not the “most eco-friendly and efficient way to charge mobile devices,” as their site claims – my mom has them beat with her solar powered charger hub – it’s definitely better than the current energy sucking system, and at $22-$29, it’s affordable, too.

about perrin drumm

Toyota’s smallest Prius, the Prius C (think city) concept includes a 1.5-liter engine and 144-volt nickel metal hybrid battery. Toyota claims this car will offer up the highest mileage of any non-plug-in hybrid.

fusion hybrid | click > enlarge


The fusion is not only getting better, it’s getting greener by dropping all V-6 engines and instead adding a pair of greener sedans: a hybrid and plug-in-hybrid.

smart for us pickup | click > enlarge


Bonus: Smart For Us urban pickup truck is tiny, a two seater, zero emission, all-electric just over 11.5 feet long and under 5 feet wide. It will haul anything as long as it’s small.

[ more on bmw i3 ]




about phil patton

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–The Standard deadline is January 9, 2012.
–The Late Deadline is January 23.

PS: We’re launching a new competition for all types of Green Transportation Design. If you’re a transportation designer, we hope you’ll be interested. Drop us a note at GoSpark [at] sparkawards.com to receive our Go:Spark Newsletter and special entry discounts.

[ about climate counts ]
Climate Count is a non-profit organization that brings consumers and companies together to address topics such as corporate climate responsibility and conscious consumption. The Climate Counts Company Scorecard was developed with oversight from a panel of business and climate experts from leading non-governmental organizations and academic institutions.

[ about herman miller ]
Herman Miller works for a better world around you—with inventive designs, technologies and related services that improve the human experience wherever people work, heal, learn, and live. Its curiosity, ingenuity, and design excellence create award-winning products and services, resulting in more than $1.6 billion in revenue in fiscal 2011. Innovative business practices and a commitment to social responsibility have also established Herman Miller as a recognized global company. In 2011, Herman Miller again received the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s top rating in its annual Corporate Equality Index and was also cited by FORTUNE as the “Most Admired” company in the contract furniture industry. Herman Miller trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol MLHR

The Green Dot Awards is a consumer guide to excellence in environmentally-sustainable practices. A business with a Green Dot Award is a business that can be trusted by consumers with stewardship of the environment. Recognition from the Green Dot Awards allows businesses to promote their products and services as items that are manufactured and delivered in an environmentally friendly manner.


If your product or services take into account environmental sustainability factors, you can enter to be recognized by one of the most prestigious international awards.
Submit your work in the following categories
build
 — Revolutionary showcases of sustainable design and functional live/work spaces.
concept
 — This category is reserved for environmental innovators with a revolutionary business proposal or plan.
service
 — Any organized system of communication, employees and/or apparatus that supplies the consumer with support, resources, solutions for their eco-work and lifestyle.
product — 
Everyday items with an exemplary design aesthetic that are accessible to the average consumer or business and that promote and support eco-conscious living.
media — 
Films, festivals, television programs, visual arts, awareness campaigns or any other arts and culture media that bring awareness to the need for positive environmental change.
transportation
 — Eco-innovations in mobility.
Good Luck! [ green dot awards ]

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The interior Life module is open and airy. The use of renewable raw materials is another defining characteristic of the interior, offering passengers a further means of “experiencing” the sustainability of the vehicle. Parts of the instrument panel and door paneling are visibly made from natural fibers. The car’s footprint is small but has four seats, wide-opening opposing “coach” doors, a boot capacity of around 200 liters and an additional functional compartment in the front. It’s also an intelligent car taking stress off of the urban driving experience.mThe BMW i3 is set for launch in 2013

[ bmw ] [ bmw i8 concept ]

The flexible love chair is not new news. But this is: INDUSTRY gallery, is excited to announce the chair is now available in the US exclusively at INDUSTRY. Also announcing a premiere exhibition in the Los Angeles showroom.

The creative paper chair is surprisingly strong, able to hold from one to as many as twenty individuals and between 1,300-1,500 pounds. FlexibleLove has been in constant use for three years at the Taiwan National Museum of Fine Art which receives more than 200,000 visitors annually. Pieces are represented internationally and can be seen in the Material Lab at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Exploratorium at the San Francisco Children’s Museum. Ecological, adaptable, practical. furniture from paper. As part of Design Loves Art at the Pacific Design Center.

exhibition: 17 november > 23 december
venue: industry gallery/los angeles | pacific design center-blue 270 • 8687 melrose avenue

The 2010 line includes FlexibleLove Virgin 20, FlexibleLove Earth 16, FlexibleLove White 16, and FlexibleLove Earth 8. FlexibleLove was designed by Taiwanese designer Chishen Chiu, and is manufactured by Pinzaan Company Limited. [ flexible love ] [ industry gallery/los angeles ]