What if you’d been given an opportunity to change the world? We all have the potential to invent things and make the world a better place; and sometimes all it needs is a little spark for the imagination to be activated. A very exciting green forum Open Planet Ideas has been launched by Sony and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). They are keen to hear your ideas about improving technology, changing the behaviour or managing waste. to make the most of our planet’s resources.
Their panel of experts from WWF and Sony has already reviewed more than 300 ideas. To make it easier, they’ve divided all projects into six main themes: Changing behaviour, Cleaner by design, More with less, Make it real, Waste not and Recycling revisited. After the conceptualisation stage finishes, the jury will select the best concepts and eventually make one of them real.
Everyone who has a great eco-friendly idea should Join the challenge and share it with the world. If you don’t feel like getting your environmental ideas on the table just yet, still hop on board and take part in the discussion. You can applaud your favourite green projects and share your ideas by adding comments.
Whatever some of the big corporate names are telling you, it is quite challenging for them to remain 100 per cent eco-friendly. There are many ways to offset the carbon produced by large-scale global manufacturers: building trees and investing in sustainable technologies are the first things that come to mind. However, only a fraction of the big businesses approaches the future in a sustainable way. That’s why it is great to see a big company like Sony trying to think outside the box and do something to encourage green thinking and development of eco-friendly products.
What crazy idea have I come up with, you might ask? Well, I’ve contributed a concept of a mobile thermopile generator that you can take with you and use to recharge batteries or power small devices like radios and mp3 players.
The concept is using an effect that generates a small amount of current between two braided pieces of metal wire if one end is heated and the other end is cooled. Add certain amount of thermocouples (pairs of wire) together and you’ll get quite a substantial amount of energy.
A mobile thermopile could convert waste heat wherever you are. It can convert solar heat, can be leaned to a hot water boiler or cooker or even mounted inside your car to harness the waste heat your engine produces. Scientists and DIY enthusiasts have played with this concept on and off but it is still yet to reach its full potential. What I’ve done with the idea is adding insulation and coolant, which should improve the efficiency of the thermopile.
To find out about all the exciting ideas that have been submitted to the forum so far, please visit their website and Find Out More About Open Planet Ideas. I am sure you will find an inspiration to make the world a better place.
You can check my Thermopile concept here.
