Take control of your sleep!

How did you wake up this morning? Feeling fresh or rather had a bad sleep? In fact, we are all sometimes confronted with nights through which we didn't sleep that well, waking up in a bad mood as a result. However, waking up in a good mood feeling fresh is an extremely important element to be productive and efficient throughout the day.
That's why some scientists decided to create the Zeo personal sleep coach. This innovative system enables people to improve the quality of their lives through the power of sleep.

The system consists of a soft headband which accurately and safely measures sleep patterns based on the electrical signals produced by the brain. After transmission to a bedside receiver, the user of the Zeo system gets a personal sleep score every time he wakes up. Thanks to intelligent calculations, the device is able to reveal weekly trends and sleep patterns. But there is more: the Zeo personal coaching website makes it possible to make a long-term analysis of one's sleeping patterns. Users can transfer the information from their headband to the website, where a set of intelligent analytical tools can be used to discover correlations between one's lifestyle and his sleeping patterns. Top of the bill is the Zeo SmartWake alarm, an alarm clock that makes use of the revealed sleeping patterns to calculate one's natural awakening point. Based on these calculations, the alarm clock gently wakes you at the optimal point in your sleep cycle within half an hour of any specified time. The result is that you always wake up refreshed, never feeling in a bad mood.
Wouldn't the world just look so much better if everyone was able to use this kind of product?

Thomas Catteeuw

If we can't stop them, why not make them eco friendly?

Dear bloggers,

Although this idea is not a real innovation (since it was on television in 2008), I still think it’s worth mentioning in a blog about green innovations! “How can we make the war more eco friendly?”, a rather unconvenient question, but if you think it through, it’s right on! 

We all like to live in a peaceful world, but that’s not so easy as it may seem. So, if wars can not be avoided, can’t we at least make them more eco friendly? This question (in This video) was brought forward by the “Onion”, a United States-based parody newspaper, published weekly. Although they just want to mock the Americans and their government, I think it may not be such a bad idea to really think this through. The tanks, trucks and jeeps could perhaps run on solar energy? The amount of fuel that’s used for all those vehicles is enormous, so why not try to cut back on that? Or all the radar systems for instance, can’t we incorporate some solar panels?

What do you think about this idea? Do you think it’s rubbish? Or do you agree with me in saying this might have some opportunities? 

Good night to you all :)

Laura

Live a cashless life and pay with your cellphone!

Sure, coins and notes will never completely disappear in our society. However, since major players like Google and MasterCard have joined hands, it is possible to transfer the entire payment experience from the plastic credit card or traditional banknotes to a mobile device.
A few months ago, Google and MasterCard brought to life “Google Wallet”, a new step in moving customers away from credit cards and banknotes. Google Wallet is a mobile application that will turn phones into wallets. On the one hand, this gives customers the opportunity to save time and money while shopping. But on the other hand, it gives businesses the opportunity to strengthen customer relationships by adapting rewards or product deals to the needs of the customer.
In fact, the idea is quite simple: instead of deciding which credit card you are paying with in a store, you simply pay with Google Wallet, which works through an app on your smartphone. The only thing you need to do is tap your phone on the so-called “google bypass reader”  that can be found at checkout in several stores. Thanks to your existing credit card credentials that are stored, safe and sound, to a secure microchip on your phone, the payment is executed automatically. On top of that, loyalty rewards, product deals or purchase history can be easily integrated In the application, since the use of a personal smartphone enables merchants to identify customers in a more efficient way.
Will mobile devices eventually kill all of the plastic cards and bankotes in our wallet? Certainly not. But at least, this cashless initiative offers a convenient solution for digital natives aiming for an efficient way of in-store paying.

Thomas Catteeuw

Take a green ride!

Hi there!

Today, I have something very special to present to you, guys! It’s something fast, something green, something exciting and something for the dare devils among us! Any idea yet? (You’ll never guess it, actually! 

It’s an environmentally friendly roller coaster!!!!

Say what?! Yes, an eco friendly roller coaster. How does it work? Very simple, it does not run on electricity but on muscle power. This means that you are pedaling, instead of having it run on gasoline or electricity! It’s like riding a bike, but on a roller coaster! The thrills must be enormous, being so high up in the sky and knowing you worked you way up there all by yourself.

For the roller coaster lovers who are really interested in this attraction: it’s located in the Japanese amusement park “Eagle Feather Mountain Highland” on the island of Seto. Just jump on the next plane and enjoy the ride!

Laura

A watch called SEIKO

Dear bloggers,

After seeing the innovations of Super Friday and then more specific the one about the solar bag, you probably all know how important it is to think of new ways to create energy. Since one of the most promising alternatives is solar power, a lot of companies have integrated this in their products.

One of those companies is SEIKO, which makes “clean watches”. They are not just stylish, but also very eco friendly. Their product offer also includes a watch called the SEIKO Solar, a quartz watch which takes its energy from light and stores it in a self-recharging battery which never needs to be changed. In this way, batteries have become superfluous and the planet can get healthier.

For the fashionista’s among us: don’t panic, you never notice there’s a very tiny solar panel incorporated! This picture shows that you’ll never see the difference between a solar watch and a normal watch.

 Skeptical as you probably are, maybe you’ll think: “And what happens when it’s a cloudy day?!” Well, this watch can also be recharged with other kinds of light! So if you just put it in the light of a lamp, it will also charge! Great news, or what?!

Laura

Let you GoodGuide and buy green!

Green label, Future Friendly, Organic, Eco certified, Planeteco, Got2BeGreen, Ecorazzi, Brighter Planet, Eco Line, … These are just a few of the wide rang of ecologic labels that products carry in your local supermarket. But what do they mean exactly? Aren’t they rather misleading than giving relevant information to the customer?

That’s exactly why some IT professionals in the US developed a new smarthone app called the GoodGuide. As its name already reveals, the app wants to be a “good guide” towards the costumer while shopping in his/her favrourite supermarket.  Again and inherent in all smartphone apps I cited before (i.e. Paper Karma, Hootroot and iRecycle) , the ease of use is impressive. Simply by scanning the barcode of a product, you’ll immediately see its overall green score, which is calculated upon its health, environmental and social performance ratings. In a jiffy, you can separate green products from fake green products.  

Pieter Glorieux

Intelligent thermostat learns from your heating preferences

It might seem surprising, but heating thermostats control up to half of our monthly energy bill. With energy prices continually rising, shouldn’t we look for more effective ways to reduce our energy consumption? The “Nest” intelligent thermostat might be a good solution for all of us! Nest claims that it can cut home heating costs by more than 30% compared to a classic thermostat, by making the temperature in the room exactly fit to our preferences. Once installed, the intelligent thermostat just asks a few questions about your heating preferences, after which one can start using the thermostat as he would do normally: turning it on when coming in, turning it off when going out. The longer you use the thermostat, the more it will learn from your preferences and behaviors. As a result, the Nest thermostat will create an adapted heating schedule, which fits perfectly to the users’ preferences and habits, and it continues to learn over time. On top of that, some intelligent sensors are integrated in the thermostat. Those are able to detect whether somebody is in the room or not. Thanks to the energy history-feature, users can see how much energy they have consumed over a certain period.  So no more bleeding hot rooms wasting tons of energy, but  an intelligent and green way of heating, providing the exact temperature when and where you need it!

Thomas Catteeuw

Free mobile internet for everyone!

I doubt if some of you still don’t know the company Mobile Vikings. This young company came up last year providing cheap mobile internet for smartphones and tablet PC’s in Belgium. So far, more than 90 000 users have been convinced by the new operator. Since innovativeness and entrepreneurship have always been the key driver in their business, Mobile Vikings recently launched an experiment in which customers can earn free mobile internet service by participating in offers from local businesses. The system, called “Viking Spots” has set up a network of local businesses or “spots” that can be accessed virtually  through a smartphone app. When mobile users interact with these spots, for example whey they check-in, buy something and write a recommendation, they earn free Viking Points, which can be exchanged for credit on their Mobile Vikings account. Currently, the system is only open to a limited set of users around Hasselt, where the headquarters of Mobile Vikings are located. However, a broader roll-out in other cities can be expected soon. In fact, the Viking Spots platform could be compared to the existing Foursquare-app for smartphones. Yet, the difference with the new app is that you can get rewarded for your check-ins and purchases at local businesses. As a result, powering mobile users through local business offers means benefits for both parties. An idea to watch and learn from!

Thomas Catteeuw

Your wish is Siri’s command

As we all know, Apple is the king of innovation. According to the website businessrevieweurope.eu, the company has maintained its crown for yet another year with the launch of its Siri voice recognition technology. Siri lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls and much more. She’s nothing like other speech recognition software. In fact, you can just talk the way you talk normally. Siri will understand you, unless you have a terrible English accent of course. And the cool thing is, she talks back! She answers your questions and asks you questions herself if she needs more information to complete a task. Sometimes, she even says funny things. On YouTube, you can find a lot of videos of people who are having a go with Siri. Moreover, there are websites that are entirely devoted to her funny comments. One of them is http://shitisaytosiri.tumblr.com. Have a look yourself!

Annelien

007 gadget for midgets

I think I’ve just come across the tiniest device I’ve ever seen. Isn’t it this digital camera insanely small? I think it’s even safe to say that it’s the world’s smallest digital camera! As you can see on the image below, it even fits on the tip of a finger. Despite its size, it can actually take photos as well as record videos and it supports up to 32GB microSD cards. Via USB, you can send everything to your computer, which is also the way to charge its battery. Although this tiny camera is very cute, I’m not exactly sure what you can use it for. The company suggests that you might use it for personal espionage activities. So hereby, I strongly recommend this innovation to anyone who feels –for whatever reason- the need to spy on someone. I assure you that the chances of being caught are extremely low!

Annelien

Wake up with the Drop Clock!

As I was reading a business proposal on the Dreamtime Alarm Clock (by Charlotte Verbeke, Karen Van Overbeke and Lore Ott), I found myself thinking I really liked their idea. But personally, as a person whose mornings are strictly orchestrated by the minute, I don’t think this clock is precise enough for me. Additionally, I’m not too keen on the design and the construction simply looks too complicated to me.

Frolicking through the internet, I came across a similar alarm clock with a less complicated design: the Bedol Drop Water Clock. Just like the Dreamtime Alarm Clock, this device is powered by water albeit with a less complicated construction. To power up the clock, you simply unscrew the base and fill it with clean water. The water only has to be changed every six months.

According to the website of Bedol Technology, their clock converts ions in the water into energy. A built-in memory chip remembers the time, so that you don’t have to reset the clock when changing out the water supply. This clock sounds like a great green way to wake up!

On top of all that, the clock (which is shaped like a drop of water), is relatively small and could easily be taken with you as a travel clock.

The Bedol Drop Water Clock is for sale on the company’s website. It costs about $29 (which converts to +- €22) and can be ordered in several colors.

Interested in this peculiar device? Check out the website at

http://www.bedolwhatsnext.com/water-powered-clock-c-89_199.html

Nathalie Adam

Water morgana?

Imagine yourself sitting in those typical Hoveniersbergclasses during a warm, nice day. Everyone is enjoying a drink on the Grasslay, while the MTB-community is gathering around for yet another guest lecture. The beads of sweat standing on our forehead, everyone hankering for a drop of water and finally, we reach our fata morgana ... in the form of a water cooler. But this is not a regular water cooler you find in the passage of almost every company. We, eco-friendly people from the MTB-community use a self-filling water cooler that extracts water from the air, purifies it and serves it up in nice refreshing dollops of goodness. Water passes through a filter which removes solids, oxygenates and removes any odours. Every 24 hours, this cooler generates 20 litres of pure hot or cold water. But there’s even more: this water cooler is solar powered! While the world outside is almost having a sunstroke, the MTB-community is bottling their own green but clean water thanks to this dispenser!

Katrien Cailliau

Power to the Peepoople!

When I present you the PeePoobag, I don’t think you really need an explanation. It is what it is. The peepoobag is a genious invention as it is a sad confrontation. But the fact that nobody wants to know in what condition other people have to live (or to shit) on the other side of the world is hereby invalidated. Swedish architect and professor Anders Wilhelmson proved that. And he proved even more: while regular toilets  are in fact a very expensive way of flushing one’s feces down the drain, the Peepoobag has more hidden advantages. Next to being a simple solution for the lack of access to basic sanitation in developing countries, the bag itself has a harmless chemical fertilizing layer that changes the human waste witin a period of two to four weeks into a fertilizer itself. Besides that, it is also odor-free for at least 24 hours after use. Concerning the MTB-community the Peepoobag could also provide a solution for possible future accidents, as there have been in the Lost Forest a couple of months ago. The producers call themselves “Peepoople”, because “we are all the same”, says Carmilla Wirseen, product manager of Peepoople, “whether we are rich or poor, we all do it”.

Katrien Cailliau

EcoLEGOcal!

Natural disasters: they happen almost everyday. An earthquake here, a tsunami there, but has anyone of the MTB-community actually ever been in one? Does any of us know what it is to leave your destroyed house behind you and go live in a tent? A problem about emergency services is the unnecessary waste that is associated with the process of helping those who are in need. The huge amounts of tents, water, food and medications require and equally big amount of boxes, paper, bottles and other types of packaging. The LEGO-inspired brick could form a handy solution in avoiding the creation of waste. Although it only provides a temporary shelter, the LEGO-brick is not just a brick. It’s also a source of food and water: the two typical dots of the brick are actually compartments in which you can find and store food and water. Once a person has nurished himself, the bricks can be filled up with soil to form actual and usable bricks to make temporary shelters! And here’s the best thing: once a region has recovered, the temporary LEGO-houses can be deconstructed and transported to and re-used in another disaster region! So instead of leaving the ‘recovered’ zone full of ‘supportive’ waste, now emergency services can not only just help where needed, but also in a more ecological responsible way!

Katrien Cailliau

My big, fat green wedding!

Diamonds are a girls best friend. But what if we, girls from the MTB-community, could show our commitment to the environment and faire trade with our wedding ring? Wedding rings are still a traditional matter and fiancés have endless discussions about the perfect ring. But are we aware of the manufacturing processes of these precious metals? Do you realize women are getting raped and kids are getting their hands hacked off to obtain our ‘precious’ metals? Before you all stop wearing rings on your finger, I present you the solution: conflict-free diamonds, gems and recycled metals! There are actually ecological-friendly gems, recyclable by the way, that are not mined out of the earth, but grown in a lab! And there’s even more: these precious stones are less expensive than the exploited ones! Good for the environment and your wallet! So, girls (and boys), before choosing a 20.000 euro ring that was probably responsible for the death of an entire village, choose GREEN and be clean.

Katrien Cailliau

Apps can save the environment!

After blogging for more than five weeks about all kinds of ways to protect the environment, it was a real challenge to find another topic that really could make a difference. Well, to my own surprise I found just yet another way for being environmentally friendly and healthier.  I present you all sorts of apps that offer incredible handy ways for us to adapt a more durable lifestyle. These apps can help you with transportation and shopping, even carbon footprint monitoring and home energy management!

I’ve compiled a short overview of the most interesting apps that could help us to be more aware of our impact on nature.

First, for those who like to eat fish, the Seafood Watch can come in handy. Since it helps you to identify which fish are the most environmentally friendly, which are the good alternatives and the types of fish that should be avoided. There’s also a sushi guide that can be consulted!

Secondly, I suggest uploading the Good Guide. This tool allows you to scan or search products to see how healthy the product is and if the company is environmentally friendly.

Finally, I propose to use the Tree Hugger to be more eco-friendly. This application keeps you on top of environmental news. It also helps you to find local places to recycle!



Download these apps and see how they can influence your lifestyle!  I really hope that this last call to action was worth it to make you all more aware of the importance to protect our precious nature.

Liesbeth Rubben

Snap & send! The new and simple remedy against junk mail

After the Hootroot and the iRecycle, I’d like to continue my ultimate quest to offer a full range of green living apps to the eco-conscious smartphoners among us. Since we have to make all human beings aware of the main future issue called ecological awareness , why not do this via a booming industry such as the industry of smartphone apps.

In this next episode of my quest, I present to you the Paper Karma that was launched only last month. Apart from being a cool name, the Paper Karma is a useful app that helps you getting rid of the towering stack of junk mail. The only simple action to take is snapping a photo of each one of the pieces of junk mail and sending the pictures to Paper Karma. After that they’ll contact  the responsible companies in question and urge them to remove you from their mailing list. Peace of cake, innit?

Pieter Glorieux

Algae: the green gold of the future?

In our search for green innovations, we don’t always have to look abroad. Interesting green projects also arise in Belgium. A week ago, Humo presented in an article four Belgian ‘ecopioneers’. One project in particular caught my interest: the transformation of algae (yes, algae) into green substitutes.

Apparently, algae can be used in a lot of applications. Two of them can have a big environmental impact. First of all, it is possible to make biofuel with algae. Currently, most research is conducted in the private sector, but experiments show that using algae to produce biodiesel may be the only viable method by which we can produce enough fuel to replace world diesel usage. Secondly, algae contain a lot of omega 3, which we need to live healthy and which we normally get out of fish. As a result, getting our recommended quantity out of algae instead of out of fish would be a solution for the overfishing.

And what’s the role of Belgium in this story? Well, Proviron, a Belgian chemical company, has developed an efficient and simple method to grow microalgae, the ProviAPT photobioreactor. I won't explain the technical details, but I can tell you this. As it is very expensive to grow algae, this new technique is a real breakthrough.

What do you think? I don’t assume a lot off you will have a problem to use biodiesel, but are you ecological-minded enough to replace your weekly amount of fish by algae?

By Elien Lefevere

“What is genius, anyway, if it isn't the ability to give an adequate response to a great challenge?”

Dear Ms Vandendaele and Mr Jacobs,

I have found an interesting competition for future MTB students. Have you ever heard of the CleanTech Challenge? This challenge is an innovative competition for Belgian students in cooperation with the International CleanTech Challenge in London. The idea behind the competition is to build a better future through environmentally-friendly technology. This kind of resembles the MTB Innovation Award BUT the price is €5,000 cash (and lifelong fame, of course)! The challenge is open to all students who have an innovative idea to tackle the current problems related to energy generation and energy consumption. The organization helps you to build a network of professionals that can help you with the realization of your idea. You can form groups beforehand but you can also log on to the forum and find a particular team member (for example an engineering student that can help you with the more practical side of your idea). You can also go to their free kick-off event to meet other people with green ideas. The competition consists of two rounds, with five semi-finalists. These semi-finalists have to convince the Belgian jury and the winner can participate in the European Finals in London.

What do you think? Do you think future MTB students are up for the challenge?

Leen Leus

Green beer, not only on St. Patrick's Day

Dear Bloggers,

Yesterday, I presented you with an ecological barbecue. Now what can’t be missing on that perfect barbecue party? Right. Beer. No more wine for me after our litte Quartvin experiment.

Last week, I came across some green beer in a nightshop. No, not just reserved for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. I mean the other kind of green beer: eco-beer — extra refreshing whether it’s March 17 or any other day.

One brewery that’s been generating a lot of word-of-mouth buzz is New Belgium Brewery. It turns out that New Belgium Brewery is a remarkably green brewery, yet they played down this particular fact surprisingly enough.

Now how is this a green brewery? By reducing the energy, water and waste involved in making its beer, this brewery is proving that great taste and a clear conscience can be both good for business. The company considers sustainability as a key of its philosophy, and is also entirely wind powered.

Thus, the perfect beer for treehugging MTB-students as us, don’t you think?

Lore