Hill+Knowlton Strategies

In the Energy and Industrials team we are partial to some tech prowess, especially if that technology is geared towards saving energy, saving money or looks particularly nifty (remember those Back to the Future self-lacing shoes Mr Chris Pratt lusted after?).

Detailed here you’ll find just a few of the weird, wonderful and stylish energy-saving or sustainable products and gadgets that I find quite snazzy.

Cardboard fun



You might not be able to use it outside, but hopefully cardboard furniture which is 100 per cent recyclable will soon be all the rage. From beds to work seats all you have to do is fold it together and voilà!

Sun in  a jar

Solar-powered lights have always been popular for guiding people up garden paths the world over  but not many people have ventured to using them indoors which is why I like this next product; the Sun Jar. Just sit it on your window sill during the day when you’re at work and then use in the evening when you come in.

Speakers

Personally I love these acoustic iPod speakers which are made from reclaimed wood and old instruments; let’s face it they would look great on anyone’s mantelpiece.

Keeping warm (yes that is a picture of Matt Damon in a ’slanket’)

From my days living in a drafty student house it was either a choice of wearing a blanket around the house at all times or trying to find an inexpensive way to save heat. After exhausting all the usual tips (foil behind radiators, draft protectors on doors) we found the most effective product we used was window insulation glaze. It costs around six pounds and is basically sticky backed plastic for your windows which really does work!

These are only some of the products I have come across recently but it is clear to see that eco and sustainable goods are a growing market with websites dedicated to selling everything from homemade wind turbines to recycled cushions made from plastic.

I stumbled across a neat little initiative while perusing BusinessGreen during my lunch break – edible curtains.  Yes.  Not technically curtains, mind you, which was a little disappointing but I am still impressed.

Kyocera, the Japanese tech group, is pioneering the initiative at 20 manufacturing facilities in Japan, Thailand and Brazil. They basically created what I think we’d call “hedges” around their buildings to block direct sunlight in a bid to not only lessen the need for air conditioning, but provide a health snack for employees to nibble on.  They’ll also be used in the company cafeterias.  Nifty little energy saving initiative, I say.

Employees harvesting the curtains

For the sceptics out there, Kyocera has confirmed that the curtains lower wall temperatures, and “decrease temperature by as much as 15 degrees C”. Covering roughly 32,750 square feet (3,043 square meters), the curtains are expected to absorb an estimated 23,481 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions – the same amount that can be absorbed by 761 cedar trees.

The kind folk at Kyocera have set up a website where you can find more information on the curtains, as well as helpful tips on how readers can grow their own. I recommend checking out the “What is a Green Curtain” section for some cute (always important) graphics. 

Unfortunately, I don’t think we’re in the best location to grow our own edible curtain at 20 Soho Square, and my repeated requests to build a roof terrace where we could grow our own garden have been denied (something about health and safety…).  But if we could, I think I’d like to grow flowers so we could stop paying to have them brought in.  And some cherry tomatoes.

What would you grow?