We’ve covered the value of worm poop, and now it’s time for the merits of cow dung to come to the fore. EcoFaeBrick turns cattle waste into bricks that are greener, stronger and 20% lighter than regular clay bricks.

The Indonesian organization was set up earlier this year to tackle the problem of excessive waste in farming areas. From this, the ecological and economical solution of the Cow Dung Brick was born. There's no visible difference between a traditional brick and the dung brick—and before you ask, there's no smell either. Instead of using wood fire the dung bricks are fired using biogas, helping to further reduce carbon emissions. The new product also lets land be retained for farming, rather than being excavated for clay for conventional bricks, or becoming a health risk due to ‘too much dung’.

A green product that boosts the wealth of rural Indonesians, it's not hard to see why EcoFaeBrick came first in the 2009 Global Social Venture competition. The company has identified 22 areas around Indonesia that they want to expand the project to, plus 22 more in other parts of the world. One to support, or otherwise get involved with!

Website: www.ecofaebrick.com
Contact: yusufaria@ecofaebrick.com

Spotted by: Tais Reis

Targeting consumers who want to consume less energy but also enjoy shiny new gadgets, Canadian Ecobee has developed a smart thermostat that enables easy remote control of a home's energy use.

Installation involves hooking up the device to a customer’s existing wifi network and then registering it online, so that users can log in to Ecobee's portal and control their thermostat from wherever they can access the web. While regular programmable thermostats stick to fixed routines, Ecobee’s online access means that users have flexible control over home heating and cooling, adjusting as needed if they’ll be home earlier or later than expected.

The Smart Thermostat is priced at USD 385 plus shipping and installation, plus USD 35 per year access to Ecobee’s portal. Besides direct sales to consumers in Canada and the US, Ecobee is also pitching its device and platform to utility companies. By adding pricing visualization to the thermostat's information mix, utilities can make consumers even more aware of their energy use, which could have the added benefit of reducing peak loads. (Related: Home security with an energy-monitoring twist — Home energy monitoring, delivered by Google.)

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

Spotted by: Amanda Bond

Providing further evidence that the future will be pedal-powered, Dutch brand Taga has launched an eco-stroller-bike much like the Zigo Leader and trioBike models we've written about before.

A recent winner of the Red Dot Design Award, the Taga bike uses simple click-to fit technology that allows it to be switched from stroller mode to bicycle mode in just 20 seconds. Child seating can be reclined for a sleeping little one, and there's both a hood and rain guard for protection against the elements. Future options will include seating for two children, a car seat adapter, a cart mode, a wooden double seat and extra front-end protection. The Taga is available in stores throughout Europe and the UK, where pricing is GBP 1,695.

Looking for a future-proof investment? Then look no further than the world of bicycle-based innovation and brainstorm ways to replace four wheels with two. With all the many reasons to kick the gasoline habit, one might say it's the pedal-powered—not the meek—who shall inherit the earth! ;-) (Related: Lightweight electric bike targets urban commuters — Waitrose using bicycles & carts for greener deliveries.)

Website: www.taga.nl
Contact: office-nl@taga.nl

Charcoal is notorious for its undesirable effects on the environment and human health, but for backyard grilling, there have been few alternatives. Just in time for summer in the northern hemisphere, a Wisconsin-based company has now launched a greener alternative.

Sologear's uGO FlameDisk is an eco-friendly grilling option that employs solid ethanol as its fuel source and lights instantaneously with the touch of a match, no lighter fluid required. Users simply peel off the device's protective film, place the disk in their grill and light it. The aluminum disk is ready to cook on in less than a minute—saving roughly half an hour in time that would ordinarily be spent waiting for charcoal to heat up—and will continue to burn for at least 40 minutes. Heat output from the FlameDisk is similar to that of charcoal, but it creates no ash or soot and it cools to the touch in just minutes. Perhaps best of all, the FlameDisk’s ethanol fuel produces 99 percent less carbon monoxide than charcoal does. For die-hard fans of charcoal-grilled flavour, there's even a “Smoker Plate” available to recreate that taste. The uGO FlameDisk is available for about USD 4.99 online, via the Home Shopping Network and at select supermarkets and hardware stores across the US.

In addition to rolling out the FlameDisk nationwide, Sologear is also working on a small, portable FlameDisk Grill, according to an article in the Wisconsin State Journal. Time to get involved and bring some grilling innovation to enthusiasts in your part of the world...? (Related: Beach barbecue on call.)

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

Spotted by: Pat Bice

It's no longer uncommon for companies to turn other companies' used goods into something new—Worn Again's recrafting of old airplane seat covers comes to mind—or to donate used products for a charitable cause. One we hadn't seen, however, was a jewelry company that takes back its customers' worn items and transforms them into new designs.

Sure enough, though, last month Canada's Foxy Originals announced a new jewelry recycling program that it says is the first of its kind in North America. How it works: customers send in their old, well-worn pieces of the company's design, and Foxy will melt down the metals from those items and turn them into brand-new designs. In exchange, consumers receive a 10 percent discount on their next Foxy purchase. As the company's website explains, "Foxy’s recycle program is a great way to refresh your personal collection of Foxy Originals while reducing waste and helping the environment." Toronto-based Foxy's other socially minded efforts include producing all its designs locally in Canada and using lead-free materials and water-based sprays instead of toxic solvents in all production.

Already endowed with (still) made here appeal, Foxy will only add to its eco-credentials with the new recycling effort, encouraging green-minded customers to come back for more. (Related: Retailers recycle customers' used clothes — From Wal-Mart, jewelry with a traceable story.)

Website: www.foxyoriginals.com
Contact: customerservice@foxyoriginals.com

Spotted by: Sarah Tindle