This unusually named bike is sure to draw your attention with its unusual style and curve. The bicycle, called the Bonobo, was created by Warsaw designer Stanilav Ploski, who explains that the bicycle “is built to serve urban cyclists who wish to ride comfortably and with style. The frame utilizes natural properties of plywood – a natural composite material that is light, strong, and absorbs vibrations. Geometry of the bike ensures a relaxed riding position and lets the user experience the pure pleasure of cycling. Components were selected with simplicity and easy maintenance in mind. A single gear drive train and reliable hydraulic disc brakes require minimum attention from the user. It is also possible to install an internal gear hub or a belt drive train.”

The fact that the bicycle frame is composed primarily of plywood held together with metal fixtures makes it versatile and unique. Considering that plywood is one of the weakest wooden materials available, I question why the designer didn’t go for a sturdier choice. Nonetheless, the bicycle looks pretty cool and I’d be proud to ride it around.

Inhabitat

The Emotion NEO comes equipped with a 250-watt brushless motor backed up by a removable Samsung 324-watt hour lithium ion battery powered by regenerative braking. With the motor integrated into the real wheel, the bike has a greater depth which ensures smoothness of the engine and completely eliminates the noise levels. Furthermore, the brushless motor allows a 3:1 gear ratio, which means that it multiplies by there the force applied to the pedals. The bike weighs just 53 pounds and has a 56-mile electronic range.

A BH Marketing Manager claims that, “New features start right on the control panel, which doubles as a key to start the vehicle, that is, the bike won’t work without it. The motor is much more powerful, allowing for more comfortable assistance and achieving great power peaks at specific times, on steep inclines for instance. Moreover, the torque sensor and the 27-gear real derailleur ensure optimal power transfer without any special chainrings or cranksets.”

The bike is scheduled to arrive June 2011.

BH Bikes

As high gas prices continue to make driving expensive and solar powered hover crafts remain out of reach, many people are turning to their bicycles for their daily commutes. Cycling is an environmentally friendly and healthy way to travel, but there are some clear disadvantages. To address some safety concerns, BiCygnals has created a turn signal unit that mounts onto the back of your bike. One of the primary concerns when it comes to the safety of bikers is making sure that drivers notice you. In the blink of an eye, an inattentive driver can threaten the life of cyclists. The BiCygnals will hopefully improve the notice of drivers and make roads easier to share.

Equipped with super bright LED lights, BiCygnals makes it easy and effective to announce when a cyclist is going to turn. The left and right signal indicators are controlled wirelessly by the cyclist. There is even a bright red stop signal that lights up when the cyclists pulls on the brakes. The system does require quite a few batteries to run (4 AA in the front unit and 4 AAA in the rear unit), but the LED lights ought to be pretty energy efficient. Cyclists that share the roads with cars, especially in the city, should take every precaution to ensure they are as safe as possible. The BiCygnal will certainly play its part.

Check out some of the companies other products. They are all sleek, stylish, and well designed.

BiCygnals

SiGNa Chemistry Inc

For ease of use, the powder cartridges are hot-swappable and are fully recyclable. This cartridge system has the advantage that users don’t have to stop and refuel. The catridges also have a weight advantage; they are much lighter than the conparable battery. On the other hand, the infastrucure needed for such a system to be used in a car would be enormous. That isn’t an argument against hydrogen fuel cells, but a note of practicality that will continue to deter its use in transportation.

In all, it would be pretty cool to fill up my water bottle so that I have enough fuel to ride my bike home.

via Wired

• Absorb vibration better than steel, aluminum or carbon, producing a uniquely smooth ride
• The fatigue life of wood exceeds steel or aluminum, and approaches carbon
• Wood is not susceptible to crack propagation from dents like the metals
• Have much greater impact resistance than butted metal or carbon bike frames
• Are as stiff pound for pound as the metals, even while it’s better at absorbing road vibration
• Are sustainable, recyclable, biodegradable, with a tiny carbon footprint, while the primary production of steel, aluminum, titanium and carbon fiber are incredibly polluting and unfriendly to our environment.

Wood is nature’s most advanced building material: lightweight, durable, and sustainable. The frame is environmentally friendly, made with sustainable woods and using low VOC waterborne sealers and finishes. At 3.5 to 4.5 pounds, the Renovo frame makes for a unique, quick ride.

To bring our Hygiene Health Week to an end we would like to introduce you to the idea of homemade shower gel. Homemade shower gel is not only fun like a lot of the other homemade products mentioned this week but it also allows you to really let your imagination run wild with scents, etc. Creating homemade shower gels can also be fun to make with older children. So, why not have fun creating shower gel, enabling yourself to be clean and smell good while at the same time helping the environment out by not using soaps and or shower gels filled with harsh ingredients?

Follow the following recipes in order to learn how to make your own homemade shower gel:

Homemade Shower Gel For Dry Skin -
1 cup rose water
2 cups natural baby shampoo
30 drops lavender essential oil
30 drops geranium essential oil

Homemade Shower Gel For Sensitive Skin -
1 cup rose water
2 cups natural baby shampoo
30 drops lavender essential oil
30 drops chamomile essential oil

Homemade Shower Gel For Oily, Blemished Skin -
1 cup orange-blossom water
2 cups natural baby shampoo
30 drops peppermint essential oil
30 drops lemon essential oil

Directions:

In a large measuring cup or medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients and gently stir to blend, keeping foam minimal. Pour into 3, 8-ox. plastic squeeze bottles. Keep 1 in the shower and the other 2 in a cool cabinet or refrigerator until needed.

These recipes are by Natural Beauty.

Scented Shower Gel Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unscented shampoo (Note: Use an all natural shampoo)

1/4 cup water

3/4 teaspoon salt

15 drops fragrance oil
food coloring ( optional)

Directions:
Pour shampoo into a bowl and add the water. Stir until its well mixed add the salt and fragrance.

This recipe is by Pioneer Thinking. Please visit their website for more wonderful recipes.

Strawberry Kiwi Shower Gel

Ingredients:

½ cup unscented shampoo (Note: Use an all natural shampoo)

¼ cup water
1 tsp salt
10 drops strawberry extract (essential oil)
5 drops kiwi extract (essential oil)

Directions:
Combine the first 3 ingredients in a clean bowl. Add the essential oil and stir gently to combine. Store in a clean bottle squirt bottle and use like any shower gel.

This recipe is by My Beauty Recipes.

For those of you looking to purchase eco-friendly shower gel try EO Products Shower Gel Jasmine and Shikai Shower & Bath Gel Cucumber Melon.

Follow these eco-friendly recipes to make your feet praise you:

Green Rub For Pretty Feet (use this recipe to soften feet)

Ingredients:
2-3 tablespoons cornmeal
2 tablespoon fresh mashed avocado or avocado oil
To make:
Mix both ingredients in a small bowl until they form a meal-like mixture.
To use:
1. Place feet on a towel. Put one half of the mixture in the palm of your hand, rub both hands together, and apply to one foot, working the gritty and emollient meal into calluses and rough spots, and up and around the toes.
2. Repeat with other half of mixture on other foot. Rinse and dry feet thoroughly.
3. Repeat treatment once or twice a week.
This recipe is by Annie B. Bond. You can find this recipe in her article on care2.com.

Sandal-Friendly Feet (use this recipe to exfoliate)
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons used finely ground coffee grounds
1 teaspoon cornmeal
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon whipping cream
1 tablespoon whole wheat, rice, or white flour
2 drops lavender essential oil
2 drops tea tree essential oil
1. Mix together the coffee grounds, cornmeal, and olive oil. Add whipping cream, flour, and essential oils, stirring well.
2. Stand in the tub and scoop up a quarter of the mixture, scrubbing gently on skin of one foot. Repeat with second quarter of mixture. Rinse foot, then repeat process with the other foot. Rinse well and pat feet dry, then apply a moisturizer.
This recipe is by Annie B. Bond as well.

Basic Foot Soak (use this recipe to sooth feet)
Soothe aches, remove odors, and soften rough skin with this basic foot soak. Add 1/2 cup of Epsom Salts to a large pan of warm water. Soak feet for as long as it feels right. Rinse and dry.

Fun Additions to Your Soak
Lime slices and mint leaves
Rose petals or lavender
Orange peel and rosemary sprigs
Dried seaweed and seasalt, great detoxifiers
A few drops of your favorite essential oils:
for example, peppermint will be cooling, lemon uplifting.

This recipe is by Melissa Breyer. Please visit her article titled, “Swift Bliss Foot Soak” to read the full article with this recipe located in it.

One e-book online company called EcoBrain advertises, “33% less impact on your wallet, 99% less impact on your wall”. EcoBrain is devoted to offering e-books to everyone in hopes of helping to save the environment at the same time. They offer many e-books on various topics, ranging from the environment all the way to academics. You can look up books by subject, price, publisher, and also use a handy search box located on their homepage. One of the fun things that EcoBrain offers is a wish list just like many other online stores, which also includes regular online book stores.

If you find that you don’t have the budget for e-books then EcoBrain also offers a free e-book from time to time, which can be found on their homepage under “Freebies (and Paper Free!)”. Another great feature about EcoBrain is that they offer gift certificates in values of $5, $10, $15, $20, $25, $50, and $100.

Now that you know of an eco-friendly e-book company called EcoBrain go ahead and check out them out from time to time to see if they have something that you are looking for. Purchasing e-books instead of paper books when you can is a great step toward using less paper and saving more trees.

National
Biodiesel Day takes place on Thursday, March 18, the date of Rudolf
Diesel’s birthday. The biodiesel industry chose his birthday to honor him for
his foresight in recognizing the valuable role of vegetable oil-based
fuel. He originally designed the diesel engine in the late 19th Century
to run on peanut oil. Only later did petroleum become the standard. In
a 1912 speech, Diesel said

“the use of vegetable oils for engine
fuels may seem insignificant today, but such oils may become, in the
course of time, as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of
the present time.”

Some eco-friendly information on Biodiesel

• Biodiesel is a clean-burning alternative to petroleum diesel made from
  domestic, renewable resources such as vegetable oils, recycled cooking
  oil and animal fats.
• Soy-based biodiesel reduces
  lifecycle carbon dioxide reductions by 78 percent, as shown by analysis
  conducted jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S.
  Department of Energy. This takes into account everything from planting
  the soybeans to delivering biodiesel to the pump. 
• A 2007 update to this analysis found that for every unit of fossil
  energy it takes to make biodiesel, 3.5 units of energy are gained.
• Last December, with broad bipartisan support, Congress passed and the
  President signed an energy bill that dramatically expanded the
  Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS).  The RFS sets minimum standards for the
  use of renewables in our nation’s fuel.  At the urging of NBB, this
  landmark initiative for the first time specifically requires a
  renewable component in diesel fuel. As the expanded RFS was being
  considered in Congress, the biodiesel industry worked closely with the
  environmental community in support of a requirement that biodiesel
  under the program reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent
  compared to petroleum diesel fuel. We have every confidence our fuel
  will meet this aggressive greenhouse emission standard.
• Lastly, it is worthwhile to note that the U.S. biodiesel industry is
  promoting job creation and economic opportunity in rural America.  A
  recent study concluded that in 2007 alone, the biodiesel industry
  supported over 21,000 jobs and added over $4 billion to the nation’s
  Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Maybe take some time today and learn more about biodiesel

Source: Biodiesel.Org
photo: Flickr by rrelam

We all know that public transport is better than using personal cars but we also know that pedal power or walking is even better. Whenever we want to know the directions anywhere we always go to googlemaps it’s fast and convenient way of finding directions and has great options for terrain. We’ve been tracking our bike rides and dog walks using their mapping feature, but now when we’re searching for directions we can simply choose walking/cycling as an option and googlemaps is meant to find the optimal way to reach your destination, googles blog indicates that:

we (google) wanted to include as much bike trail data as possible, provide
efficient routes, allow riders to customize their trip, make use of
bike lanes, calculate rider-friendly routes that avoid big hills and
customize the look of the map for cycling to encourage folks to hop on
their bikes.

We’ve also added information about bike trails, lanes and recommended roads directly onto the map. This can help you get a better sense of your route, or let you find trails nearby for a recreational ride. When you’re zoomed into a city, click on the “More” button at the top of the map to turn on the “Bicycling” layer. You’ll see three types of lines appear on the map:

• Dark green indicates a dedicated bike-only trail;
• Light green indicates a dedicated bike lane along a road;
• Dashed green indicates roads that are designated as preferred for bicycling, but without dedicated lanes

This is a great leap forward for google, and cyclists everywhere. Many cyclists (me included) prefer to avoid busy roads, especially at peak hours, and google maps allows us to amend the route accordingly. Or if we decide to stop off at a sightseeing spot we can change that online too by clicking and dragging the route to include the destination. One thing I love about google is you can check it online via any smartphone and it’s great if you get lost out on a ride! As long as you have cellphone service obviously.

All in all a step (or cycle) in the right direction!

Image Source: GoogleBlog