This article is solar powered.

It was written from a laptop powered by one of Brunton's mind-bending Solaris solar panels: foldable, flexible, and incredibly portable. In this particular case, it's flowing to a Brunton Solo 15, which, in turn, is charging this laptop.

The particular Solaris model we're previewing is a Solaris 26, which is capable of outputting 26 watts of power using cutting-edge CIGS technology. CIGS is the new flexible panel technology that recently set a 20% efficiency record for thin-film panels. 26 watts won't power your air conditioner, but it's enough juice to completely light up two or three standard CFL light bulbs.

Brunton, which has a history of putting out portable solar panels, has really outdone themselves in the new Solaris models. The Solaris 26, for example, folds into a packet with the footprint of a sheet of paper and about an inch thick. The panel is water resistant and highly flexible, with a smooth nylon coating encasing it. We've tested it charging laptops and batteries, and it easily handled the task, even in the shade.

We'll post an update shortly describing the new Solo. In the meantime, we're going to go enjoy the sunshine.

Researchers at MIT have demonstrated a relatively simple solar thermal dish that uses parabolic mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto a tube filled with water. This water is heated and the energy from the water can be extracted for heat or electricity.

The main innovation here appears to be the low-cost nature of the dish. The student team determined that a smaller dish (or an array of smaller dishes) doesn't demand an enormous support structure and therefore allows adopters to lower deployment costs.

The MIT-based group have started a company, RawSolar, to leverage their technology. The dish design is interesting, and protected by patents, but due to the relatively low-tech nature of the project, we anticipate several clones of the design in the future if it really is indeed the solar efficiency leader. We wish them the best of luck!

Here's a great interview with Mythbusters's Jamie Hyneman giving some behind-the-scenes information on the episode.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/transportation/4264025.html?series=19

It's too bad that Tesla decided to chicken out on this comparison, as it would be interesting to see the Roadster in the quarter mile and also get some well deserved publicity.

The most interesting part is how Jamie describes these electric vehicles as incredibly simple to build, and compares them to oversized remote-controlled cars (not of the glowplug variety, of course). He says he fully plans on building one, and expects it to take only a week or two.

It's no secret that coal-fired power plants, along with other human activities, emit an enormous amount of mercury into the air.

This map shows where much of the mercury rains down on the US. It's too bad it doesn't cover Alaska and Hawaii, as well, not to mention the rest of the world.

On the right side of the page, you can select specific states and see various food-related warnings. Though it's largely limited to fish that are not recommended for consumption, mercury content has a host of negative health effects for all living things.

As an editorial note, the authors of this map were very careful to state that mercury in the air can be from natural causes like volcanic eruptions. This is true, but it seems highly unlikely that the skyrocketing levels are due to natural causes if the levels are 10-20 times higher than "pre-industrial" levels. For example, there haven't been 10-20 times more volcanic eruptions in the 1900's compared to the 1800's.

In other words, our industrial civilization is to blame.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-30-where-mercury-falls_N.htm

Project Better Place, located in California, recently showed off a working prototype of a pure electric Renault/Nissan car in Tel Aviv.

This is pretty exciting news, as Project Better Place seeks to supplant oil-based cars in the next few years in Israel and Denmark. It's an exciting step forward, especially in Denmark, where the cars will be largely charged by wind generated electric power.

We applaud the more rational choice of making the car a four-door, five seater sedan (though a five-door hatch or wagon would be even more useful to more people). It's a bit unfortunate that the "other" electric car, the Tesla, is based on one of the smallest, most impractical forms possible; didn't anyone tell them that you can have high performance with four seats? Just look at cars like the Mazda RX-8 and BMW 135i. Replace those gas-guzzling engines with an electric drivetrain and you're ready to haul four asses at high speed. Ah, well. We still love the Tesla.

There's been some talk lately of toxic compounds in plastics that are often used for drinking and baby bottles. We'll keep this page updated with new information as it becomes available.

Several people have been asking us what we recommend as reusable drinking bottles, and there are good choices depending on what you need. Glass bottles have always been our favorite for pure, unflavored water. Re-using a purchased bottle of mineral water means that it also costs less than $4. Being made for retail shipping and handling, they are surprisingly durable, but of course they will shatter if you drop them on concrete or hard tile.

That being said, we can't remember the last time we've dropped a plastic bottle from height, either. The caps of glass bottles are often made of plastic or aluminum, which isn't ideal, but at least the water usually doesn't sit around in contact with the cap. There are also stainless canteens made by several companies; they seem decent choices, as well, but we definitely prefer the taste of glass-bottled water. For infants, a stainless bottle, or at least a glass bottle with some cushioning around it, may be a better bet.

Here is the list of household plastics:

Commonly known as: PC, Lexan, Polycarbonate, Nalgene (misnomer) Properties: Rigid, can be transparent, melts at higher temperatures, used for sunglasses, CDs, re-usable drinking bottles, water cooler bottles Known risks: BPA: carciogen, endocrine disruptor

Commonly known as: Polyethylene, HDPE, PETE Properties: Can be flexible or rigid, depending on thickness and type Known risks: Antimony: PETE leaches this highly toxic compound into water, especially in hot weather.

Commonly known as: Polypropylene, PP Properties: Opaque plastic, sometimes used for cutting boards and water filter vessels. Known risks: We're having difficulty finding specific information. Contact us if you have research links in peer-reviewed publications.

Commonly known as: Copolyester, Tritan Properties: Rigid, can be transparent, used for re-usable drinking bottles Known risks: This is the new kid on the block, and the reusable water bottle makers, finally acknowledging the toxic effects of polycarbonate, are jumping all over it. It's specifically advertised as "bisphenol-A free", but you can bet it contains a boatload of other chemicals with side effects that are yet unknown. Remember, it took decades to uncover the toxic effects of polycarbonate/Lexan.

We find it a bit amusing, and probably more the work of Eastman's marketing department, that its main claim to fame is being free of a specific chemical, bisphenol-A. It's a bit like saying "this gasoline is lead-free!" Even being lead-free, gasoline is still one of the nastiest concoctions around, and just saying it's lead free doesn't mean we're ready to go and drink it or pour it into the earth.

Space heaters... As winter comes to an end, this may not be the hottest topic on your mind.

However, as winter gear is discounted by retailers, it's a great time to pick one up. You know you'll need it again in less than a year, anyways :) Even accounting for the time value of money, picking up a space heater is a good deal at the hefty discounts most retailers are advertising for winter goods now.

More importantly, it's a good way to reduce your energy consumption. Electric space heaters obviously consume power, but because you choose which rooms they heat instead of using central heat, they can reduce your heating bill by 80% or more.

We've done a concise raw review of several models, and there were some clear winners:

Top Pick: Vornado Metal TVH500

Pros: Remote control Extremely effective at heating Two power levels Works as a fan in the summer High-end all-metal construction Two-stage thermostat

Cons: Fan makes a bit of noise High end price

Honorable Mention: Holmes Micathermic Radiator

Pros: Completely silent Two-stage thermostat

Cons: Slow Expensive No remote

Not Recommended: DeLonghi Oil-Filled Radiator TRN0812T : test sample emitted noxious burning oil smell for over 48 hours

Presto Heatdish : primitive single-stage thermostat means this heater will sometimes turn on and off several times per minute, potentially harming computers and electronics.

Delonghi Convection Heater HS15F : test sample emitted high pitched shrieking sound when operating. Otherwise, a good choice.

Howdy folks, we've been gearing up and accumulating test miles on our fleet of "gap transportation" in preparation for the good weather up here in the northern hemisphere.

The review is looking pretty complete: we have our trademark and extremely detailed raw reviews on rides like the new Dahon Mu P8, the REI Novara Buzz Flyby folding bike, the high-tech Ross Motors 2000XR, the elite Riese und Muller Birdy 2 Monocoque, the affordable Schwinn Stealth scooter, the Bladez 450 electric scooter and a very rare appearance from the endangered Riese und Muller Frog.

Dahon is a big name in folding bikes, and we're very happy to report that they will be participating with the new Mu P8. As far as we know, this will be the first official review of the hot new ride. We'll update here when it arrives. We'll also be reviewing the new Jetstream P8 when it's available later this year.

Brompton is across the pond, so we'll need to give them some time. We'll update here as things change. Stay tuned for the review this Spring!

As consumers have learned, the Internet has given the little guy a newfound voice when it comes to having dialogs with producers.

Mitsubishi has an i-MiEV electric car that has a 100 mile range and costs about the same as a foreign-oil-burning Prius or Civic Hybrid. The only problem is that they aren't sure about selling it in America. Perhaps its our multitude of F-150's and Hummers that makes them think we're not a suitable market?

Convince them otherwise by signing this petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/iMiEV/petition.html

Tesla Roadsters are nice, but at $100,000 for two seats, they are more of a proof of concept than a real answer to fossil fuel consuption and climate change. This i-MiEV four-door is perhaps a better answer.

Hell, it's about time :)

Although most consumers today will point to the compact fluorescents (CFL) bulb as the heir apparent, here at RawEco we're doubling down on the LED (light emitting diode) as the future of light.

With lightbulbs consuming the lion's share of electricity in homes, this is a VERY big deal. LEDs are impervious to normal shock, are relatively toxin-free (CFL bulbs have mercury in every bite) and don't flicker when given a steady flow of power.

Cree, Seoul Semiconductor, and, of course, Philips Lumileds have been rocking the scene with their X-Lamp, P4 and Luxeon brands for years now. Those in the know will recognize the exceptional light output of the highest performing Cree, SSC and Luxeon Rebel LEDs. Now, the tough part is getting the price down (each high-end emitter costs upwards of $5 in quantity) and increasing total light output. In other words, they make an incredible amount of light per watt, but they can't handle enough watts... yet.

This means that LEDs have already started dominating the high-end portable light category; flashlights pack one or more emitter to make upwards of 200-700 lumens. That's in the same ballpark as a regular indoor lightbulb, but the prices need to come down in order to compete with their toxic fluorescents brothers.