Breathing bike
Beijing cyclists may soon be breathing a little easier, thanks to city resident and artist Matt Hope, who has created a ‘breathing bike’ complete with mask and an air-filtration system fashioned out of a trash can and other ‘junk’. The invention is timely: in early 2013, pollution in the city broke all records. One snag to Hope’s scheme – he is worried the user could be electrocuted in a rainstorm.
Running up energy
An English gym is harnessing the hard work of its clients with exercise machines that produce energy as people work out. The Spectrum Leisure Centre in County Durham is using The Green System gear to produce up to 2,000 watts of electricity per hour. It estimates that it will save $16,000 on energy bills over the next five years. The money saved will be put towards other environmental initiatives.
Playground of innovation
A discarded piece of land and an old ambulance have been revamped to create Malawi’s first playground especially designed for children with disabilities. Designers have used scrap materials to create strong and sustainable equipment; the ambulance-turned-playhouse has pride of place. Next door to an orthopaedic hospital, the play area is open to non-patients too, so children can have fun with the locals.
Boat school
Floods are no longer a reason to miss school for children in some Bangladeshi communities: the schools are floating to them. NGO BRAC runs 100 boat schools, which pick up and drop off students and teachers from their hatis (small islands). The agency is hoping to build 500 boat schools for disadvantaged students by 2014.
