For the hordes of people camping out at music festivals this summer, recharging their mobile phones no longer has to be an issue. If they have access to an Orange Power Pump, a minute of physical exercise is all it takes to juice up their phone.

Mobile network operator Orange has teamed up with renewable energy experts GotWind, who have created a tiny wind turbine that can be hooked up to a standard airbed footpump, enabling users to pump juice back into their phones. The turbine is no bigger than a pack of wet wipes, and can generate enough energy to power 5 minutes of call time in about 60 seconds of foot pumping.

The Power Pump will make its debut at Glastonbury Festival next week, where Orange will also set up its annual "Chill 'n' Charge" tent, capable of charging up to 600 phones at once. Orange seems to have found its calling in providing alternative sources of energy to phone users at music festivals—last year we featured their wind-powered charging station and dance-charger, both of which were also developed by GotWind. Makes sense, of course—music festivals are prime venues for providing so-called brand butler services. By helping out consumers in relevant ways, brands boost their own appeal.

And good thinking on incorporating a standard piece of camping equipment. Lets just hope the chargers will be re-used for other festivals and camping trips; manufacturing alternative power generators is far from green if they're only used once or twice. ;-)

Website: web.orange.co.uk/p/web_glastonbury/

Fast food restaurants have long been domains of guilty indulgence, something that Burgerville is set to change. Although it's been around in the Pacific Northwest since the 1960s, Burgerville is committed to supplying its patrons with local, seasonal and organic food options.

Beef and cheese are purchased from hormone-free farms in Oregon, and all of Burgerville's produce is locally sourced—meaning customers won't find a strawberry shake in December. They will, however, find sweet potato fries and pumpkin shakes in autumn and Walla Walla onion rings in the summer. In addition to its focus on sustainable ingredients, Burgerville runs its 39 restaurants as greenly as possible. Its canola oil is recycled into biodiesel fuel after its cooking life has ended, it has a wind-generated electricity investment programme, and there is a staff-initiated composting and recycling scheme. Food is priced marginally above other chains (for instance, a Yukon & White Bean Burger costs USD 5.29 and rosemary shoestring potatoes USD 2.99), but can be justified by the extra effort involved.

Although Burgerville certainly isn't the only fast food joint to source locally and act sustainably, it's one of the biggest chains that have gone that direction. If fast food chains, so recently the antithesis of all that's eco-friendly, healthy and democratic, can do a 180 with their business—can't anyone? (Related: Meatless fastfood chains.)

Website: www.burgerville.com
Contact: www.burgerville.com/about-us/contact-us

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau

In tropical climates, roughly 80 percent of the energy used in an average hotel room is for air conditioning. Aiming to provide a more sustainable alternative, the Evening Breeze bed is a canopy bed with built-in air conditioner that uses only a fraction of that energy.

In the Evening Breeze bed, air is filtered and cooled to a set temperature and humidity level and then gently directed over the sleeper via an upholstered canopy ceiling. A built-in mosquito net protects the sleeper from uninvited visitors while also helping to contain the cooled air, meaning that no airtight insulation is necessary—rather, the room can be left to its natural state, with windows open for fresh air. The eco-minded bed is crafted from FSC-approved wood, and it uses only environmentally friendly R410A coolant. Perhaps best of all, however, is that whereas conventional air conditioners use between 1,200 and 2,000 Watts, the average energy use for the Evening Breeze bed is only 400 Watts, creating a reduction in energy use of 60 percent per room. That, in turn, results in a potential yearly savings of 4 MWh, equivalent to USD 1,000 or 2.5 tons of CO2 pollution, the bed's maker says. Earlier this year the Evening Breeze bed was awarded Honourable Mention in the Design and Build category of the 2008 Green Dot Awards. Priced at EUR 1,800, each Evening Breeze system sold gets combined with a locally made mattress and box spring when it arrives at its destination.

Five resorts in the Caribbean and South Africa are now equipped with the beds, and Mozambique's Coral Lodge—due to open in September—will be the first to use them hotelwide. Dutch Evening Breeze is currently developing its sales and service network in the Caribbean and Africa; one to get in on early? (Related: Eco-mattress in a box — Buy the bed you just slept in.)

Website: www.evening-breeze.com
Contact: info@evening-breeze.com

Spotted by: Robin Benjamin

It's a sobering fact that a full 40 percent of the world's population—some 2.6 billion people—lack regular access to a toilet. Add to that the fact that one child dies every 15 seconds from water contamination, and it's not hard to see the motivation behind the Peepoo bag.

One of the UN Millennium Development Goals, set in 2000, is to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to drinking water and sanitation, but so far progress has been minimal. With that in mind, Swedish Peepoople created the Peepoo bag to serve as a personal, portable and low-cost latrine for all the many people who don't have one. Designed for use sitting, squatting or standing, the single-use, biodegradable plastic bag measures 14 by 38 cm and is lined with a urea-coated gauze layer that disinfects all waste. Used bags are odour-free for at least 24 hours and are safe for burial underground. Within two to four weeks after use, however, their contents get converted to high-quality fertiliser—something that's also rare in many areas and so could become a source of income and further enrichment for an individual or village. Following field tests last year in Kenya and India, the Peepoo bag is scheduled to begin production this summer.

Along with such efforts as distributing free insect nets to children in malaria-ridden areas and abolishing fees for school uniforms in poor countries, the Peepoo bag qualifies as a quick-win project that could rapidly improve the lives of many people. One to get in on, help out with, or be inspired by!

Website: www.peepoople.com
Contact: info@peepoople.com

Spotted by: Robert Olzon

Of all of the examples we’ve seen of upcycling—turning waste materials into new products—teddylux is undoubtedly the most adorable. Each plush teddy bear, elephant and bunny made by the Georgia business is fashioned from a discarded cashmere sweater.

Cashmere animals can be purchased straight from the website for USD 50-60 each, with cashmere baby toys costing USD 15. For the same cost, customers can request the animal of their choice to be made from their own old cashmere sweater, which makes for a toy that’s both sustainably manufactured and highly personal. The site also accepts postal donations from kindhearted people clearing out their closets, reimbursing the postage for their offering.

Brooke Serson Cernonok, the company’s founder, has been making the toys since 2004. She expanded the operation in 2008, adding more designs to her repertoire, along with cashmere headbands decorated with vintage jewellery. More examples of businesses using recycling to give their products a green edge and a stronger story? Check out Virgin Atlantic's seat covers, reborn as bags and From 1950s pommel horses to 2008 gym bags.

Website: www.teddylux.com
Contact: teddylux@teddylux.com

Spotted by: Josh Spear