拯救地球的十大絕招

As the earth heats up and the oceans rise， stopping global warming has become a mainstream concern in the West. Unsurprisingly， plenty of people are looking to make money out of it， and a huge variety of neat gizmos have been invented to ease the conscience of the environmentally conscious. Development programs have also made good use of these new technologies， devising ways to help people out of povery. So， what are the best – or weirdest – of these planet-friendly inventions?

由于全球氣溫升高和海平面上升，阻止全球變暖成為西方，的主流問題。不出所料，有很多人想從中獲利，用于減緩環(huán)境意識擔(dān)憂的五花八門的小發(fā)明也大量出現(xiàn)。發(fā)展規(guī)劃也成功地利用到這些新技術(shù)，幫助人們尋找脫貧之路。那么，這些親善地球的發(fā)明中最卓越的或最神奇的是什么呢？

1) The Java Log – Invented by Canadian Rod Smules， this ersatz firewood is made from recycled coffee grounds. Smules claims that the log produces 14% less carbon dioxide than regular firewood， and produces more light and heat too. So if you don't want to give up the glow of a traditional log fire， and you love the smell of coffee in the morning， this might be the fuel for you.

爪哇木柴——由加拿大人羅德#8226;斯謬爾斯發(fā)明。這種木柴代替品是由回收的咖啡渣制造而成。斯謬爾斯稱與普通的木柴相比，這種木料燃燒后釋放的二氧化碳要少14%，而且能夠產(chǎn)生更多的光與熱。所以，如果你不舍傳統(tǒng)柴火的熾熱紅光，喜歡在早上聞到咖啡的香味兒，這也許就是為你準(zhǔn)備的能源。

2) Global Warming Mug – A neat way to educate your friends about the impact of global warming， these nicely designed mugs feature a map of the world on the side that， as you pour hot liquids into the cup， gradually change to show the impact of rising temparatures. Sink the East Coast with your hot chocolate， or watch Australia disappear beneath waves of hot tea.

全球變暖馬克杯——用來啟示你的朋友全球變暖影響的一個簡單的方法。這些設(shè)計精妙的馬克杯的特點(diǎn)是：杯身貼有世界地圖，當(dāng)你往杯里倒熱水時，杯子逐漸發(fā)生變化，展示溫度上升所帶來的影響。用您的熱巧克力沉沒東海岸，或看著澳大利亞消失在熱茶中。

3) The Ecoflushing Toilet – This ingenious device uses the hydroelectric power generated by the swirling waters of your flush to power the rest of the house. Diarhoea can now be your key to a lower electricity bill. Other environmentally friendly toilets concentrate on using low water levels， or recycled water.

環(huán)保沖廁——這個獨(dú)具匠心的發(fā)明利用你沖馬桶的水產(chǎn)生的漩渦進(jìn)行水力發(fā)電，從而為你的房屋提供電源。腹瀉如今成了你降低電費(fèi)的解決辦法。其它環(huán)保衛(wèi)生間側(cè)重使用低水位或回收水。

4) Corn Cups – Throwaway plastic cups are the scourge of picnic spots everywhere; with these biodegradable cups， made of hardened corn， nature will reclaim its own. Only one problem; they can't be used for anything hot， or you’ll end up with a lapful of coffee as it melts through the corn.

谷物杯——隨地丟棄塑料杯是各地野餐點(diǎn)的禍害根源。這種能夠生物分解的杯子是由堅硬的谷物做成，可以自然凈化。只有一個問題，它們不耐熱，當(dāng)咖啡從杯里滲出，你便滿膝都是咖啡。

5) Bamboo Clothes – It's not just for hungry pandas anymore; bamboo fibres can now be used to make soft， resilient clothing that stays warm in the winter and cold in the summer. Bamboo is easy to grow and easier to replace， and doesn't take up the food-producing areas that other clothing crops， like cotton， need.

竹制衣物——它不再只為饑腸轆轆的熊貓所準(zhǔn)備。竹纖維可以制成柔軟有彈性的衣服，并且冬暖夏涼。竹子易生長，更便于更換，而且不像其它布料作物，如棉花那么占耕地。

6) Playground Generators – Every teacher， looking at a horde of ten year olds running over the playground， will sometimes wonder to themselves \"Why can't we put the little sods' energy to some better use?\" These new devices， fitted to playgrounds in poor areas， use the kinetic energy generated by kids turning wheels and spinning merry-go-rounds into power for water pumps and other essential items.

操場發(fā)電機(jī)——當(dāng)看著一大群10歲的孩子們在操場上撒丫子奔跑時，老師有時會想：“為什么不把這些小搗蛋們的能量更好地利用起來呢？”這些適合設(shè)于貧困區(qū)域的操場上的新發(fā)明將孩子們旋轉(zhuǎn)轉(zhuǎn)輪及木馬時產(chǎn)生的動力轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)槌樗畽C(jī)或其它基本事項的能源。

7) Hand-Cranked Radios – These were invented by Trevor Baylis， a true British eccentric and inventor who， after a career as a swimmer and stuntman， decided to find a way to communicate information about AIDS and other diseases to poor people in Africa. Realising they didn't have the electricity for regular radios， he devised a cheap and easily-made wind-up radio which could be powered just by turning a handle. His inventions are now being sold in the West – a few turns on a handle every half-hour will save you energy and money. And now there are even wind-up MP3 players! You'll never go without music on a long train ride again.

手動曲柄收音機(jī)——這是由特勒佛#8226;貝里斯發(fā)明的。他是一個真正的英國怪人和發(fā)明者，在結(jié)束了作為游泳運(yùn)動員及雜技表演者的職業(yè)生涯后，他決定尋找一個向非洲貧苦人民傳遞有關(guān)艾滋病及其它疾病的信息的方法。他發(fā)現(xiàn)這些人們不能為普通收音機(jī)提供電，便設(shè)計了一款能夠通過轉(zhuǎn)動一個手柄來發(fā)電的便宜且制造簡單的發(fā)條收音機(jī)。他的這個每隔半小時手柄的幾次轉(zhuǎn)動便能為你節(jié)能省錢的小發(fā)明正在西方售賣?，F(xiàn)在甚至還有發(fā)條Mp3播放器了！漫漫長途火車上，你不再會沒有音樂的陪伴。

8) Self-Sustaining Houses – Want to live off the grid? With solar panels and tapped water (well-purified!) it's becoming increasingly possible for houses to power themselves – the first one I visited was in the middle of the Mongolian countryside， hundreds of miles from a city or a power grid. It still requires a lot of money and investment， and it's only possible in certain conditions， but future houses will increasingly incorporate these features.

自立的房屋——想過遠(yuǎn)離電網(wǎng)的生活嗎？擁有了太陽電池板和自來水（經(jīng)過良好凈化的）便越來越有可能實現(xiàn)各家自供電源了。我第一次見到這樣的房子是在一個離城市和供電網(wǎng)幾百英里的蒙古山區(qū)中。這依然很費(fèi)錢，需要投資，而且只能在特定條件下才能實現(xiàn)，但將來的房屋會逐步實現(xiàn)這些功能。

9) Universal Battery Rechargers –Specialised rechargers are the norm for most electronic devices nowadays， but many smaller， less sophisticated tools， like torches and children's toys， still use regular batteries. Great at cutting costs as well as saving energy， a simple battery recharger can cost as little as $18 (RMB 125) and will save many annoying trips to the store.

萬能電池充電器——如今絕大多數(shù)電子設(shè)備都采用專用充電器，但很多如手電筒和兒童玩具等小型較簡單的電子產(chǎn)品依然使用普通蓄電池。一款優(yōu)點(diǎn)在于省錢節(jié)能的簡單的萬能電池充電器只需18美元（人民幣125元），還可免去多次去往商店的惱人路程。

10) Hybrid Cars – The big daddy of environmental consumerism， hybrid cars， particularly the Toyota Prius， have become a status symbol in some circles. Combining a regular engine with an rechargable electric battery and motor， hybrid cars are far more fuel-efficient than normal vehicles.Although they cost more， savings in buying gas often mean they end up costing less in the long run， and they are predicted by many to eventually overtake sales of conventional cars in the West.

混合動力車——環(huán)保消費(fèi)主義的大哥，混合動力車尤其是豐田#8226;普銳斯在一些圈子里已經(jīng)成為社會地位的象征。使普通引擎與充電電池及發(fā)動機(jī)相組合的混合動力車的能源效率比普通汽車要高很多。雖然他們價格更加昂貴，但節(jié)省買汽油的錢從長遠(yuǎn)來看意味著它們更劃算。許多人預(yù)測它們在西方的銷售量將最終超過普通汽車。