Diwali is one of the biggest celebrations to take place in India each year. Known as the ”festival of lights,” Diwali usually takes place some time between mid-October and mid-November. During the celebration, families light candles, share gifts and meals, and of course, light fireworks.

Because it’s such a big festival, it’s not unusual to see hazy, smoke-filled air in many towns and cities during Diwali because of all the fire crackers. Unfortunately that’s not so good for the environment. But this year, Diwali is going green with eco-friendly fireworks. They’re made of recycled paper and stuffed with leaves so they emit a lot less smoke and noise. And they’re apparently very popular, too – stores say the special firecrackers are flying off the shelves.

The online portal oneindia.in offers five easy steps on how to prevent pollution during Diwali. It’s not that hard…

 

Glitzy, sporty, fast, small, and above all green. That’s the theme at this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show that’s taking place this week. It’s one of the biggest and most important auto shows in the world, and it’s the place where carmakers premiere their latest and best models….and that’s just what they’ve done. Major automakers like Daimler, Ford, VW, Renault, and BMW are all trying to one-up each other to see who has the coolest and best eco-friendly car out there.

Audi, for example, showed off it’s new Urban Concept – in the picture you see above. It’s a futuristic example of what Audi calls the perfect car for congested city living. It’s extremely light-weight, completely electric and looks, well, cool.

VW showed off a car that looked very very similar in this picture below…

It’s called the “Nils” and is also electric, lightweight and a car of the future. VW unveiled another electric car that’s actually intended to hit the roads in the very near future: the Up.

The Up is set to hit production (and roads in Europe) by next year, and in Germany it would cost around 9,000 Euros.

And of course BMW was in on the competition too. The carmaker showed off the first roadsters in its “i” sub-brand series, the i3 and i8. The picture you see here is the i8, an electric sports car that’s been getting a lot of attention for its stylish, sporty look and it’s eco-friendly technology.

And that’s just scratching the surface! The Frankfurt Auto Show truly has some of the best and most innovative green technology ever in the auto industry – and those cars of the future might be drawing ever closer to the present…

The Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron is world-renowned for creating futuristic, cutting-edge and popular designs, like the Tate Modern gallery in London. Now the company is working on what might be one of its most innovative projects yet: a new, eco-friendly football stadium.

The building will be constructed in Bordeaux, France, and serve as the new home for the Bordeaux Girondins team. And most importantly, it will be powered by solar energy! Using a photovoltaic pump, clean power will be distributed throughout the stadium and the surrounding area. Construction is expected to be done by 2016, just in time for UEFA European Football Championship play. And that’s a good thing, too, because the stadium can hold more than 40,000 fans!

What do you all think? Is this the future of football stadiums in Europe and beyond?

We wanted to share an interesting article we found on the Wall Street Journal today about the costs of going green. Across Europe, towns and cities are investing in sustainable architecture – buildings that run on clean energy, like solar or wind power.

The article says even though we might assume eco-friendly buildings will save on energy bills and increase property values, that hasn’t actually been proven yet. The costs of constructing green buildings is in itself quite expensive, and it’s too soon to back up the claim that the investment pays off in the end.

So is Europe moving too fast with its boom in green construction? Or will lower utility bills and higher property value will make up for the costs quickly? Let us know what you think…

The idea of building your own green home from start to finish can be a daunting one, especially because a lot of eco-friendly design can be pretty expensive. But the Guardian recently featured a cheap and really quick option: a German company called Meisterstück Haus creates pre-built panels and pieces for your house, and builders can put it all together in just 3 days. That doesn’t include the time it takes to add plumbing and electricity and everything else you might need in a home, but it’s still pretty impressive, especially for a 3-bedroom house!

The houses are made of sustainable materials and insulated to be air-tight, which can drastically cut down on heating consumption and costs in the winter.

Is your house eco-friendly? How?