Name Name
titledescript
In London, tests are underway for glowing paving slabs that create energy simply by being stepped on. The green slabs, which contain a light that gets brighter according to how much energy is stored, are designed to ‘flex’ less that 5mm when walked over. Inventor Laurence Kemball-Cook says the patented Pavegen System slabs could be used to power anything from lighting at bus stops to......read more
With the right mix of creative thinking, technological ingenuity, and, well, money, there really is no limit for the future of renewable energy. Take the case of Pavegen, a UK company that has developed the world's first system for harnessing energy from footsteps. By stepping or hopping on a Pavegen floor tile, users create clean, off-grid electricity that can 
used for anything from......read more
This is the first in a series I’m writing for SHFT called Ars Natura: art in nature, nature in art. Though I typically blog abut media and technology I have become increasingly aware that the problems our civilization faces are not going to be solved by technological ingenuity alone. Yes I believe we can solve the energy problem and perhaps even find a way to deflate the planet’s......read more
I recently met Beth Terry, the author of a great blog on plastic pollution called Fake Plastic Fish (the definitive resource on our culture’s obsession with plastics) at a very sobering event – the return from an expedition to Midway Island with photographer Chris Jordan, who traveled there with a film crew to document the “plastic graveyard.†Midway is literally......read more
The Finns are a thoroughly modern people. They are world-famous for their uber-modern design aesthetic and are wont to include any historical references of any sort in their architecture or design. And while the country revels in its modern history, it is next to impossible to find any information on the ancient roots of the Finnish people. In contrast to Norway and Sweden, Finland is not......read more
The key to a successful business is good margins, the difference between what you buy stuff for and what you sell it for. So when what you're selling costs you nothing to buy, and it retails for $50 or $100, you're in good shape. Such is the case with Justin Gignac's New York City Garbage project, in which the artist/entrepreneur gathers trash found on the streets of Manhattan,......read more
The sketchy, ephemeral blue globe which served as the official logo for the COP15 climate talks in Copenhagen has in interesting story. The UN in conjunction with the Danish Ministry of Culture launched a design competition in the early part of the year to create an identity for what would become the most important climate summit in history. The judges received hundreds of entries and selected a......read more
Struth's photos are up at Marian Goodman Gallery in New York until June 19. ...read more
When art history books are written about the early part of the 21st century, an entire chapter will likely be devoted to our culture’s newfound romance with ice. The Copenhagen climate talks, though a political failure, nevertheless established an important moment in history – an acknowledgement by the world’s global leadership of one simple fact – the Arctic is......read more
As many of you know I am a favored target for the climate denier community, and sometimes their jabs and death threats do bother me. But most of the time I just feel sorry for them. After all they are singing their own swan song – all of ours actually. The more we delay on real energy regulation and the more the climate conspiracy community perpetuates the obfuscation of scientific......read more
