These dome-shaped solar trees use AI to charge electric vehicles and combat the issue of EV charging

Slowly and surely the world has been moving towards clean energy alternatives. People have been abandoning dirty energy, especially petrol and diesel-ridden vehicles, for smarter and cleaner EVs, and other solar energy products. However, an issue that EVs often pose, is the issue of charging them. It can be challenging to find charging stations frequently and in convenient locations, but this is where these intriguing ‘Solar trees’ come into the picture. London-based SolarBotanic Trees created these sleek innovative trees designed to power EV Charging stations!

Designer: SolarBotanic Trees

The London-based company launched the prototype for the trees in September 2022, and its first generation of solar trees will finally be available in the coming few months! SolarBotanic developed these trees in collaboration with a London-based business support program Co-Innovate. The two teamed up and used academic and innovation resources from the surrounding universities and facilities. The unique-looking trees have been equipped with solar panels. These solar panels or nano photovoltaic ‘leaves’ form the dome or the canopy of the trees. They absorb energy from sunlight and transform it into electrical energy.

That collected electrical energy is then stored in the trees’ AI-driven energy storage and management system, which releases this power and manages it. There are other simple solar trees on the market, for example, Smartflower – a rather large daisy-shaped solar energy solution. But there are certain features that set the SolarBotanic Trees apart from similar designs on the market. First and foremost, the Smartflower has a four-kilowatt system, while the SolarBotanic Trees have been equipped with a five-kilowatt capacity, a larger capacity than other trees available today. Also, the SolarBotanic Trees will have a lower and more economical price point, which will make the product more accessible to the masses.

The SolarBotanic Trees will provide solar energy solutions for homes, businesses, and commercial parking spaces. The commercial version or the SolarBotanic Tree “v01” will be available in mid-2023 and version “v02” with an energy management system (EMS), battery storage, and rapid EV-charging system will be available later in the year. A third version the “v03” will be available in 2025 – it will use an advanced combination of wind and solar power generation modules.

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This wooden debit card puts your money to work in saving the planet

Money makes the world go round, and it comes in many forms these days. While there are many proponents of e-wallets and digital forms of currencies, physical representations of money still make up the majority. Usually, cash has a minimal direct impact on the environment until they are used to fund activities or products that do harm to the planet in the long run. Credit cards and debit cards, however, are the clear exceptions because their very nature as pieces of plastic immediately makes them non-sustainable. That plastic design is mostly by convention, though, and this unique card proves that not only can these cards be sustainable, they can also help make the planet heal every time they’re used.

Designer: Treecard

The reason for plastic’s ubiquity is simply that there were no viable alternatives to it until recently. Plastic is cheap to make and durable, ideal properties for mass-produced products, including credit and debit cards that get distributed by the hundreds, if not thousands. Of course, there are no more sustainable options, like bioplastics or other newer materials. Some designers, however, have always preferred actual natural materials like wood, especially because of their unique characteristics and aesthetics.

Wood might not always be the best material to use for everything, and you might think that a card that sits in your wallet or jeans pocket isn’t a good place for it. Treecard, however, challenges that assumption with a debit card that is made from wood, at least except for the chip that is now standard in such cards. That does confirm that this isn’t just a decorative card but a fully functional one that can be used anywhere that accepts MasterCard. It also supports digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and even Samsung Pay.

What makes Treecard extra special is that its commitment to sustainability goes beyond the card itself. It tries to give back to the environment by working with a partner so that a tree gets planted for every $50 spent using the card. Given how much people, especially in the US, make use of “plastic,” Treecard’s strategy will almost ensure that more trees will be available for future generations. It takes its mission one step further by promising never to use what it earns to fund fossil fuels or deforestation activities.

A wooden debit card is admittedly a novel proposition and one that actually looks handsome and eye-catching wherever you use it. There might be some concerns about its durability, though, since wood is less resilient under pressure and wear and tear, something that plastic does have over it. That said, the idea that you’ll be helping make the Earth greener while you spend might be enticing enough for environment-conscious consumers to make the leap of faith. They just need to take better care of their stylish debit card now.

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A Minimalist Wall-Hanging Christmas Tree

Does a traditional Christmas tree just not fit in with your design motif? Already have everything exactly where you want it and simply can’t spare any room for some bulky Christmas spirit? Well, the brand Aqestyerly has you (and your wall) covered with this minimalist wall-hanging Christmas tree (affiliate link). Cool, but where do all the presents go?

The tree measures approximately 40″ x 44″ when closely assembled and includes some fake greenery to attach to the wall, along with ornaments to hang from the branches. I imagine some busy business executive who just doesn’t have time for Christmas finding this hung in his modern penthouse apartment by his decorator while he sips fine scotch and bah-humbugs his way through the holidays.

Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer a real Christmas tree. The bigger, the better too, that way there’s maximum room underneath for presents. Granted, I was absolutely terrible this year, and Santa shouldn’t deliver me anything but a stockingful of coal to the side of the head, but a boy can dream. Mostly about Santa confusing my house with somebody who isn’t on his naughty list.

[via DudeIWantThat]

Eco-sustainable pods can be a workspace in the middle of nature

Having an enclosed space in the middle of a forest may be a dream come true for some people. I wouldn’t want to live there of course but it would be a good place to get away every once in a while and breathe in nature, literally. And if the said space is eco-sustainable and made from sustainable materials, that is definitely a plus, or rather a requirement. If you could bring said space outside of the forest to the concrete jungle, then that would be an ideal product.

Designer: Giancarlo Zema Design Group

Originally, the SEED Room was created to be part of the Trees Breathing Experience, located in a forest of Paulownia trees. The trees are connected to IoT sensors so they can track how these trees, which trap 50 tons of CO2 every year, have impacted the real world. The sensors send the data to machine-learning algorithms, arranged as digital avatars in blockchain, and then displayed in the pods where people can stay in the forest.

The eco-sustainable pods are made from the Paulownia trees that surround it, which can absorb 10 times more CO2 than most other trees. It is also shaped like a seed, hence the name. It is 25 square meters and also has 25 square meters of solar panels so it is self-sustaining. Even the furnishings inside of the SEED Room is made from recycled cardboard from Origami Furniture. Each unit is 98% recyclable and has internal micro-ventilation and cooling systems. This means they are considered low-consumption residential habitats.

You can make the pod a living space or a workspace and can be recreated for other places, whether in the middle of nature just like the Trees Breathing Experience or in eco-resorts or even in spaces where there is no nature around. But for its original purpose, they used special sensors connected to trees and the movement will create original music. They also created aromatherapy that’s inspired by the trees’ flowers, leaves, and bark.

This is not just an eco-sustainable space that you can use but it’s part of a climate initiative that will show the ecological and economic value of plants like the Paulownia trees. Well, that is if you still need more evidence that having more trees is important.

The post Eco-sustainable pods can be a workspace in the middle of nature first appeared on Yanko Design.

Real Cracked Log Lamps: For That Campfire Feeling Indoors

There’s nothing quite like telling stories around a campfire. But what if you’re inside? And what if you don’t have a fireplace like me? Enter Tasmanian artist Duncan Meerding’s beautifully crafted Cracked Log Lamps, salvaged pieces of wood that he’s outfitted with a lightbulb socket inside so they glow warmly through the cracks. Quick, you turn the log on, I’ll run out and get the ingredients to make s’mores!

Duncan is legally blind with only 5% of his sight remaining, so he works in the medium of light and shadow because they’re still elements he can perceive and harness with his limited visibility. Work with what you’ve got – my dad always used to tell me that, but I never knew what it meant until now. A much more profound message than I gave it credit for at the time.

The logs are available with a natural or charred finish and cost around $270 apiece, meaning I’ll probably try making my own for cheaper and failing miserably before deciding to buy one professionally crafted by Duncan. I only hope I don’t accidentally burn the house down during my little learning experience.

[via DudeIWantThat]

This floating bubble visualization by Carlo Ratti emphasizes forestry by showing how much carbon dioxide each tree absorbs

Escaping city sidewalks and standstill traffic for a botanical garden’s grassy lawn lined with rows of trees, butterfly gardens, and flower bushes seems like a deal most of us would be willing to make. While they offer a nice respite from the bustle of city life, trips to the botanical garden also make for insightful learning experiences. In the Brera Botanical Garden, in Milan, energy company Eni and international design and innovation office CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati have introduced Natural Capital, one of the largest data visualizations ever produced to showcase the importance of trees for a sustainable world.

With sights set on being one of the largest data visualizations in the world, Natural Capital demonstrates how trees store carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, driving home the importance of forest protection. Extending over Milan’s 500-square-meter garden, Natural Capital showcases plots of floating bubbles that project the amount of carbon dioxide their corresponding trees can capture and store during their life cycle. Walking through Brera Botanical Garden, guests will be met with three-dimensional graphics that showcase the key role that forests play in providing living things with healthy air to breathe, hinting at the symbiotic relationship between trees and humans. Bringing the point full circle, guests will be greeted at Brera Botanical Garden’s entrance by a stationary, giant sphere that illustrates the average amount of carbon dioxide produced by the human body per year.

Speaking on the contrast between the trees’ floating bubbles and the park’s giant stationary sphere, the designers say that it “illuminates the fundamental role that plants play in guaranteeing the planet’s health and limiting global warming. The comparison allows visitors to understand the symbiosis between humans and nature: the former produces carbon dioxide, the latter stores it.” Continuing their collaboration in exploring new circular economy and sustainability paradigms, CRA and Eni remain committed to protecting and conserving forests through decarbonization projects that aim for a more sustainable world.

Designer: Eni x Carlo Ratti Associati

Floating near their corresponding tree or shrub, each bubble will display the plant’s scientific name, age, and amount of carbon dioxide it will store during its lifetime.

Walking through Brera Botanical Garden, guests will learn about the symbiotic relationship between humans’ need for oxygen and trees’ ability to produce it through storing carbon dioxide.

Designers behind Natural Capital note that “Natural Capital aims to experiment with a new design medium, turning data visualization into a tangible, spatial experience, bringing the natural and the artificial worlds a little bit closer together.”

Light Up Christmas Tree Wine Stopper


Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree, you stop my wine and light up. Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree, flash and change your colors. The LED Light Up Christmas Tree Wine Stopper is a tannenbaum for your tempranillo, a true show-stopper. Not only does it keep your wine fresh in opened bottles, it also looks festively great and lights up.

This stopper puts your spirits in the Christmas spirit by changing colors just like the lights on a real Christmas tree. There’s even tiny ornaments painted onto it’s branches. The stopper is a tarnish-resistant zinc alloy with an air-tight gasket. So even when Christmas is over, you can still enjoy that half finished bottle of wine you left on the counter after switching over to eggnog and passing out under the neighbor’s tree (again). Good times this holiday season, good times.

Light Up Christmas Tree Wine Stopper
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