Architect Richard Hawkes‘ Crossway passive house (no conventional heating system needed) has both a great look and a ton of eco street cred – it’s one of the first certified passive homes in the UK. The 4-bedroom, 3,000 sq ft home, which was designed to integrate into the surrounding English countryside, contains a preponderance of local materials, including local clay bricks and locally-grown cedar siding.

Spanning 20m and 8.5m high the home’s striking, vaulted green roof is seeded with meadow plants from nearby Marden nature reserve. The 26,000 clay tiles of the archway naturally regulate humidity and their large thermal mass regulates temperature providing healthy, airy internal space. Heat recovery ventilation, triple glazing and high insulation minimize the energy needs of the house. Crossway’s southern exposure maximizes its views while practically harnessing the sun for light and heat through passive solar gain.

The home’s construction also features an abundance of recycled materials. Newspapers, car tires and crushed bottles used in the lime mortar and in the polished ground floor. Advanced energy systems generate electricity and store thermal energy, while on-site waste treatment and rainwater harvesting are also featured. A monitoring system relays building performance data to Cambridge University for ongoing research.

photos: richard hawkes’ tumblir page

You’ll definitely make a statement tooling around town on one of PiMobility’s licorice & red PiCycle ST’s. This futuristic looking electric bike features a curvy, t6 aluminum frame, an internal 10 amp hour Li-ION Battery and a front-drive 750 Watt / 36 volt brushless DC motor.

Some other goodies: seven-speed rear derailleur with index shifting, fully adjustable elastometric front suspension, 20 mile range, 20 mph top speed and zero emissions – you’ll get the equivalent of 1,250 mpg. Recharge time: a speedy 3.5 hours.

Place an order before 2/1/2011 and get a cool $500 off @ PiCycle.com

If you haven’t heard of Chinese car maker BYD (which stands for Build Your Dreams) yet, it probably won’t be long till you do. The company, backed by investor Warren Buffett, has dealt with a bumpy year of sales in Asia, but was the only Chinese automaker to strut its stuff at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. And with good reason. The renewable-energy company is planning to launch its first U.S. car, an electric vehicle dubbed “e6,” in early 2012.

The five-door hatchback e6 will likely face tough competition in the form of the Nissan LEAF and Ford Focus Electric, purely electric rides that will be around to woo consumers before BYD’s launch. But consumers will have good reason to check out the newcomer – the e6 is promising a driving range of 186 miles (compared to LEAF’s approximately 100-mile range) between charging stops, as well as a healthy top speed of 87 miles per hour. (more…)

The UK is seeing a big surge in the recycling and scrapping of old cars for charity. The movement has been popular here in the U.S. for many years, but it is only recently that our friends from across the pond have begun to take to the craze. Website Giveacar was set up to take advantage of the surge in popularity. Founded by University graduate Tom Chance, the website allows people to donate their unwanted vehicle to the charity of their choice.

In 2010, from a standing start Giveacar raised over $300,000. Each junk car raises an average of $200 and over 2000 cars were donated, showing the concept is really catching on. Chance (pictured), who is only 24, hopes to raise as much as $1,000,000 in donations in 2011. He said, “2011 saw many disasters, not least Haiti, and it was great to adapt a concept so popular in the States to benefit people all around the world.”

Giveacar can be found online at www.giveacar.co.uk. Let’s check back in 2012, and see whether Chance beats his target!

(Our thanks to guest blogger, Harry Achillini for submitting this post.)