Sustain Tomorrow

Over the next couple years, more than 20 electric vehicle models will be rolled out from automakers around the world.  The electric vehicle revolution, if powered by alternative sources of energy, has the potential to drastically improve the sustainability of auto travel by reducing emissions and oil consumption.  But one of the key barriers to widespread adoption of EVs is the lack of a national infrastructure for recharging EV batteries.

SemaConnect, a Maryland-based company, is helping change this through their easy-to-install EV charging station designed for parking lots at apartments, office buildings, and shopping centers.  The SemaConnect charging stations feature sophisticated capabilities such as Smart Card authentication, Zigbee mesh networking, energy metering, and cellular networking.  The charging stations all connect to the SemaConnect web server, which provides network management and a billing gateway.

The SemaConnect chargers use 240V and have a full charging time of 8 hours, which is much faster than plugging into the 120V wall outlets typical in apartment and commercial buildings, which can take up to 20 hours to fully charge.  The company estimates that service fees per station will run between $40-$50 per month to the property owner, who decides on a markup from that point when selling to the end user.

http://www.semaconnect.com/

Each year in the U.S. approximately 30 million tons of food waste are through away, accounting for almost one quarter of total landfill waste.  The problem with food waste is that it emits methane, a gas which according to the EPA is 20 times more damaging than CO2.  A recent study by the University of Arizona showed that if Americans cut their food waste in half, it would reduce the country’s environmental impact by up to 25%.

Utah-based EcoScraps is promoting a unique solution to the food waste problem: the company collects food & vegetable waste from local stores and composts it using a special process to create organic soil.  Because of the free availability of raw materials, the company claims its soil conditioner is the cheapest on the market, as well as being one of the most effective.

The idea for EcoScraps was born when two brothers eating at an all-you-could-eat breakfast restaurant noticed the tremendous amount of food being thrown away and decided there must be a way to capitalize on it.  After some experimentation they landed on the process which creates the compost material they sell today.

EcoScraps currently sells its organic soil conditioner through nurseries in Utah as well as online through their website, and plans to expand soon into several other mid-west states.  The company currently has 11 employees and has won several awards including the People’s Choice Award at the BYU Social Venture Competition and was named a SparkSeed Fellow.

http://ecoscraps.net/

Upcycling, or taking otherwise waste products and turning them into something which of higher value which can then be sold, is a growing trend around the world.  Narwhal Co. is a prime example of this great trend.  The California-based company, founded when the owner realized he could make useful products out of old neckties, offers a variety of products including wallets, passport covers, and wrist wear.

The unique colors and patterns of old neckties make them ideal for upcycling into equally unique products.  By reusing the ties for new products, Narwhal both helps cut down on waste and taps into a source of free raw material.  The products are sold through the online store as well as at select retail locations across the country.  The company is ultimately designed to be a catalyst for funding domestic and international humanitarian projects.

http://narwhalcompany.com/

The U.S. lags far behind most other western countries in recycling.  While some states and local areas have implemented regional recycling programs, many have not, leaving it up to consumers to take it into their own hands to collect and properly manage recyclable products.  The time and effort associated with storing all these products and bringing them to a recycling facility discourages many from doing it.  A new Illinois-based startup called eCycler is aiming to change this.

eCycler is an online marketplace which connects consumers looking to get rid of recyclables (“Discarders”) with people (“Collectors”) interested in collecting them and bringing them to a recycling facility, in turn receiving in many states the small cash incentive per bottle or can recycled. Through the online platform Discarders can choose a collector and arrange a pickup.  The consumer then leaves the recyclables in a pre-arranged spot outside for the collector to pick up and bring to a recycling facility.  eCycler encourages Discarders to offer their recyclables for free, however they request up to 40% of any cash proceeds the Collector receives for the recycled goods.

eCycler creates a win-win-win scenario in which consumers can easily dispose of their recycled goods, collectors (including individuals as well as organizations such as Boy Scout Troops) have a source of recyclables which can provide an extra income opportunity, and more goods are saved from the landfill.  The online marketplace is currently in beta and is being rolled out throughout the U.S.

www.ecycler.com

Americans use on average an astounding 3,000 paper towels per year, or the equivalent of 1/4 of a tree and 23 pounds of landfill waste.  PeopleTowels, a California-based startup, has a unique solution to eliminate this problem: encourage people to use reusable hand towels when they wash their hands which they keep with them, rather than wasting a new paper towel on each trip to the bathroom.

The idea for PeopleTowels comes from co-founder Mary Wallace’s experience in Japan observing the hand towels which Japanese men, women, and children carry around with them, often using them as fashion accessories and matching them to their attire.  She teamed up with co-founder Linda Lannon to bring the concept to the U.S.  The towels are made with eco-chic designs using organic dyes and sold through the website as well as select retail outlets.  They can also be ordered as white-label towels for teams or organizations.

Consumers have shown willingness in recent years to make small lifestyle changes towards more eco-friendly behaviors, and PeopleTowels adds another great way that people can make a slight change in their behavior to reduce their impact on the environment.  The company uses hip designs to increase the appeal and social media to create a community feel among users.  Like other reusable products (water bottles, lunch boxes), PeopleTowels is a great example of a venture nudging consumers into a new, more sustainable behavior pattern.

www.peopletowels.com

Excessively-long showers, while being a guilty pleasure for many people, also waste significant water and energy.  The Efergy shower timer helps prevent this by letting you know when it’s time to get out of the shower.

The concept is simple, but the Efergy timer can also be calibrated to adapt to the varying flows of different showers.  The user measures the time it takes to fill up a 1 liter bag with water, and adjusts the timer accordingly.  The recommendation is to use a maximum of 35 liters in the shower, and so the timer rings once the approximately 35 liters of water have been dispensed.

The shower timer is a great way to minimize water and energy consumption in the shower, also cutting down on water & electric bills.  The device retails through the Efergy website for 8 GBP.

http://www.efergy.com/

Interest in solar power is fairly widespread, but for most individual consumers there are two barriers which keep them from taking the leap: the perception that solar equipment is prohibitively expensive, and the fact that the purchasing decision is complex and often confusing.

San Francisco- based One Block Off the Grid (1BOG) is trying to encourage mainstream adoption of solar technology by homeowners through an innovative group buying mechanism.  Interested consumers can sign up through the website and are notified of opportunities to participate in group purchasing actions, where 1BOG negotiates significant discounts for participating members on the equipment and selects the best partners to manage the installation for each group member.  Estimates show that consumers purchasing through the group buying at 1BOG save between 15-45% as compared to purchasing on their own, in addition to the time savings in researching and vetting installers.

1BOG takes a per-watt cut on the savings realized by purchasers through the group-buying action.  So far they have active campaigns in 16 markets around the U.S., with plans for expansion into several more metro areas upcoming.  The model is a win-win as consumers save on their purchase and installers & producers get the benefit of large-scale orders.  One of the key challenges which IBOG might face, however, is competition from local governments and regional associations which negotiate their own group-buying deals for area residents to increase adoption of solar technology in their regions.

http://1bog.org/

Plastic water bottles are a well-known and much -maligned problem in the U.S.due to the fact that only around 20% of them are ever recycled, creating tons of unnecessary waste each year in addition to the massive amounts of oil used to produce the bottles and transport them.  U.S.-based TapIt was founded in 2008 to give New Yorkers access to clean water on the go without generating the environmental problems caused by plastic bottles.

Going bottle-less at home is easy: you simply grab a glass and fill it with water directly from the tap, which for the majority of Americans is as clean or cleaner than bottled water.   But finding bottle-less water on the go is a different proposition.  TapIt aims to solve this problem by creating a network of cafes, restaurants, and shops which serve as filling stations, offering to refill your reusable water bottle with clean water for free.

The network essentially creates a win-win-win situation: it cuts down on plastic bottle consumption, consumers save money, and restaurants benefit from the increased foot traffic and free marketing.  TapIt doesn’t earn revenue off use of the network, however they do sell branded reusable bottles through their website to support operations.  TapIt is providing a smart, viable alternative which should help to reduce waste and emissions while providing a win-win for all stakeholders.

http://www.tapitwater.com/

London-based Econogo has developed the world’s first electric scooter with a removable Lithium battery, called the yogo. Econogo’s founders first came up with the idea as they were traveling in Asia and noticed silent, electric scooters on the streets of major cities. They then decided to bring the concept back home to Europe, tweaking it slightly to include a removable battery.

Scooters are ideal for residents of large cities, as they are easy to park and effective for short-distance transportation. Yet plug-in electric scooters are impractical for many due to the fact that most city residence live on upper floors of buildings and don’t have their own garage or location to plug in and recharge. The yogo’s removable battery enables owners to charge their battery at home or work, which can be accomplished within a couple of hours.

The scooter retains for 2000 GBP and can travel up to 22 miles between charges with a top speed of 37 mph. A smaller moped-like version is also being developed. The yogo presents an attractive alternative for city residents looking for an eco-friendly way to get around town, and effectively mitigates some of the typical drawbacks to other electric vehicles such as the long charging time and reliance on finding charging stations.

http://www.econogoelectricscooters.co.uk/

The local food movement has gained great strength in the past few years due to increasing consumer concern about the environmental effects of shipping food long distances.  Yet despite increased consumer interest, local food producers still face difficulties connecting with interested consumers for their products.  FoodHub, founded by the Portland, Oregon – based nonprofit Ecotrust, aims to more effectively connect producers and consumers in a scale-neutral way, meaning that the platform can be used by buyers and sellers of single cases as well as large volumes.

The FoodHub platform contains several elements, including a directory of buyers and sellers, searching abilities, and a marketplace where producers can advertise their offerings and buyers can express their purchasing interests.  The service is currently available to residents in several Western and Northwestern states, with plans to expand across the U.S. in the future.  Users pay a $100/year subscription fee to use the service.

Local food trade benefits smaller local farmers by providing a dedicated market for their products and also helps reduce the negative environmental consequences of food transport.  FoodHub’s platform will make it easier and quicker for local food producers and consumers to connect, and will likely also help grow interest in buying local as it becomes easier and easier to do.

www.food-hub.org