Published 1 September 2019 ● Last Updated on 16 July 2020

If you can think it, you can do it – Dionne Warwick

Some people took this quote really seriously, they went ahead and brought to life the ideas that they had in their heads. Bizarre ideas, strange products but all eco friendly!

Presenting 7 unusual eco inventions that are far from mainstream – they are quirky yet effective in their functions – few of these products are currently just prototypes but are raring to go. Once you’ve read the article, it may leave you asking the question ‘what were they thinking?’, but if it is good for the planet, then it’s good enough for us to give it a try!

Read further and enjoy yourselves…

Sustainable dance floor│It’s time to eco-disco!

This sustainable dance floor is an interactive dance floor that generates electricity through the act of dancing. Created by Daan Roosegaarde, the designer also known for the acclaimed Smog free Tower, this floor can produce up to 25 to 30 watts per module, enough electricity to power the dance floor lighting and even the DJ Booth.

energy dance floors that generate electricity through dancing
The mechanism used in these dance floors generate kinetic energy when danced on. Image Credit: Studio Roosegaarde

 

How does it work? When stepped on, the floor dips gently and activates a flywheel that starts to capture the kinetic energy created from the dancing and converts it into electricity. Definitely a super efficient way of generating power… and a great talking point for attracting clubbers too.

This concept has been around for nearly 10 years, and at least 2 clubs stand as proofs of concept – Club Watt in Nederland’s and Surya in London.  Both nightspots have these eco friendly dance floor grids installed allowing their patrons to have fun and be sustainable at the same time.

Want to get one installed in a local club or your home? Contact Studio Roosegaarde here.

Airlander 10│ No ‘bottom’ angle photos, please.

The Airlander, designed by British firm Hybrid Air Vehicles, boasts of zero carbon aviation – a big thing in this age of global warming.

Airlander 10 zero carbon aircraft
Airlander 10 is revolutionary when it comes to eco friendly air travel. Image Credit: FB page Hybrid Air Vehicles

How does it work? The hybrid vehicle uses a combination of technologies, a mix between an aircraft and airship. The hull is filled with helium, allowing it to float in the sky and it can take off, land and hover in a place like a helicopter thanks to its  four propeller diesel engines. The company says ththisat the Airlander 10 uses between 1/4 and 1/3 as much fuel as other aircraft performing the same task.

In the future, the company has plans to use these kinds of aircrafts for cargo, defence and strategic surveillance and even luxury tours. Truly, this is the kind of technology that is needed for a more sustainable future.

However, as this article points out, if you were spending such big bucks on a revolutionary product, it may have been a good idea to take all angles of the design into account. Because putting a flying bottom in the sky is funny but not aesthetic!

Airlander 10 bum view
Not all angles are flattering for the Airlander 10. Image Credit: FB page Hybrid Air Vehicles

Infinity Burial Suit │ In my time of dying, bury me with mushrooms.

If the concept of green burials has intrigued you, here’s one of the top contenders – the Infinity Burial Suit. The brain child of Jae Rhim Lee, founder of Coeio, and designed by zero waste fashion designer Daniel Silverstein, the suit turns the body into vital nutrients that enrich the earth and foster new life.

Eco friendly Infinity burial suit by Coeio
The Infinity Burial Suit is made out of organic cotton and is embedded with mushroom mycelium that helps in the decomposition process. Image Credit: Coeico

How does it work? Made out of organic cotton, the suit is embedded with mushroom mycelium that cleans the body of all its toxins, a process known as mycoremediation and decomposes it to become nutrient rich soil that allows new plant life to thrive.

Each suit is priced at US $1500 and Coeio promises to plant 2 trees for every suit they sell. It gets better; the company also makes burial bags for your beloved pets – dogs, cats, rabbits and even fish!

Keen to buy one of these? Order it from Coeio here

Moss Bath Mat│ Greening the bathroom

If you have plants all over your house and even in your balconies, why should your bathroom be left out? Many do have a money plant cutting in a vase to add a green touch to such an intimate space but this moss bath mat is ‘greening’ at a whole other level.

Moss bath mats by yanko designs
Moss mats add the right amount of green to your bathroom! Image Credit: Yanko Designs

The Swiss designer behind this concept, Nguyen La Chanh, says that the concept of having this mat in the bathroom is “not only plants in pots quietly standing in the corner of a living room but alive plants, evolving in the house.

How does it work? One just takes moss balls of various sizes and sticks them on a base surface (foam or tray). The moss mat feels soft to stand on, it grows well in the moist bathroom environment, takes in water that drips from the body and does not smell when damp.

Not only is it an interesting addition to the bathroom, it is also considered healthy to stand barefoot on a moss. 

Ready moss mats from other sellers are available in the market and online on Etsy, but if you want to have some fun, DIY your own moss mat, just the way you like it!

Pet Fur Products │ Hair, hair everywhere: why waste?

For all the pet parents out there, here is a unique way to take your pet wherever you go figuratively! Pet fur bags and jewellery are going to be in fashion soon – yes, you read it right, all that hair that your pet sheds can be used instead of just going into a waste bin.

dog hair purse
Take a look at this chique purse made using recycled dog hair yarn. Image Credit: Doris Carvalho

How does it work? Pet hair needs to be collected, sterilised and then spun into yarn which is used to create products. Alternatively, cat hair can be rolled into tight balls too – they maintain their shape.

It’s a bit strange but if you love your pet a product made using its fur immortalises it forever in your life. By the way, take a look at what more you could do with the fur lying around your home.

Pollution Sensitive Dress│ The air you breathe, wrinkles your clothes ‘nose’…

Designed by Stephanie Sandstorm, the EPA dress project aims to create awareness among the wearer and others about the air pollution that surrounds us.

How to avoid air pollution? Pollution sensitive dressHow does it work? The dress is lined with nitinol wires and has an LED belt. When surrounded by polluted air, the skirt wrinkles and the top lights up with the LED. When in clean air, the dress returns to its original state.

It’s a pity that it was only a project as the dress is actually quite pretty, when not wrinkled of course!

Inflatable Shower Curtains │ Everyone needs a ‘reminder’ poke!

A nice warm shower for a minute over 4… And BOOM! Your shower curtain has spikes in your face or it traps you in your bath. Designed by Elisabeth Buecher, Spiky and Trap are eco friendly shower curtains from her project ‘My shower curtain is a Green Warrior’.  

spike shower curtain helps save water
Meet Spiky and Trap, shower curtains that get mean if you waste water. Image Credit: Elisabeth Buecher

How does it work? In both cases the curtains fill up with air and either the spikes come out and push you out of your bath, or the curtain closes in on you and you’re stuck in the bath.

I really wish these were actual products; unfortunately they are only art installation as a reminder to people that we need to be conscious about our water consumption.

Well, I hope these products did surprise you like I was when I researched them. These may be strange things to buy or create but at least they are eco friendly in their own ways!

Related Articles: 

#TechForGood│ 8 innovations that make everyday products more eco-friendly

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