LEAF Personal Light
FuseProject and Herman Miller
Sure, it brightens up your workspace. But the LEAF Personal Light – "a fusion of technology with humanity," as designer Yves Béhar describes it – is no ordinary desk lamp. In minimalist fashion, Béhar pares the concept down to its essence: base, vertical element, hinge, bulbs. Then, without complicating its form, he adds function. The touch-sensitive LEAF's 20 light-emitting diodes – 10 cool, 10 warm – shift from utilitarian lighting to a romantic glow, and from darker to lighter, as you wish. Unlike standard LED lamps, the LEAF's diodes flash intermittently (first one, then another, and so on, too fast for the human eye to detect) and use 40 percent less electricity. And the LEAF's upper arm functions as a thermal sink, dissipating heat without bulky fans or cooling mechanisms. The result is a fixture that looks cool and is cool to the touch – and, Béhar says, invites you to touch it by "connecting emotionally" to your needs. For anyone passionate about sustainable living, there's another reason to love the LEAF: The lamp is made of 37 percent recycled materials and is 95 percent recyclable when you upgrade.
Solar Car
XOF1
With a 900-watt-producing solar panel driving a 7-horsepower motor, this one-seater reaches speeds of up to 75 mph. But its most impressive feature may be endurance: It's built to go for miles in below-freezing temperatures. The sleek electric vehicle could set a world distance record in its class by going more than 9.6 miles nonstop. Blizzard conditions optional.
Architectural Wind
AeroVironment
Forget hillside monoliths. These efficient little wind turbines generate renewable energy within city limits and in an aesthetically pleasing way. The 6.5-foot-tall turbines, which can be lined up side by side, are ideal for flat-roofed buildings. All they require is a 7-mph startup wind to produce 55 kWh a month per unit.
Power-Aware Cord
Interactive Institute
It's a brilliant idea: a power strip that lights up to show how much juice your gadgets are gulping. The Power-Aware Cord emits a blue glow that grows more – or less – intense with the watts of electricity flowing through it.
Arc-House
Michael McDonough
Prefab becomes prefabulous in Arc-House, the environmentally friendly structure that NextFest's green exhibits call home. Architect McDonough set out to prove that modular housing doesn't have to be square. The tilt and curve of his building follows the arc of the sun. Arc-House is remarkable for both its design and its materials: Unlike traditional solar homes, which feature large south-facing windows, the Arc-House provides roof space for solar panels, allowing more windows to face east and west. The energy-efficient walls, developed by the Structural Insulated Panel Association, are 66 percent thinner than the wood-frame-with-fiberglass-insulation variety. The panels consist of coconut palm and bamboo plywood (or plyboo, from Smith and Fong), Homasote soundproofing made with recycled newspapers, and Maplex glueless cellulose fibers from sustainably managed forests.
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