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Seven earth-friendly kiosks promoting the green cult

Turning ‘green’ is high on the agenda of every company. Either as part of their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) or simply as the pricking of the corporate conscience, a green culture is being adopted in as many ways as possible by the companies. The latest trend is to make use of eco friendly kiosks for retailing their goods and services. More than that, several kiosks have been made to ensure a better life for the lesser privileged ones. It is a win-win situation where everyone benefits from the kiosk. Here are seven such kiosks that have been designed to make a difference.

Eco Kiosk

Harnessing renewable energy in different ways and reducing wastes, the Eco Kiosk has been designed by Fahmi Yusoff. For starters, the entire kiosk has been built and designed from recycled and recyclable materials which are durable. Thus, it can withstand the rigors of the changing outdoors. Planted boxes, installed on either sides of the kiosk perform the dual role of holding plants to enhance the aesthetics and absorb CO2 to reduce the emission of the global-warming agent. It has a Louvre style roof fitted with solar panels to ensure lighting and ventilation inside. Also built into the kiosk is a downspout system with a gutter that harvests rainwater and stores it in an underground tank. The water is then filtered and used as tap water.

Computer kiosk

Africa ceases to be the ‘dark’ continent. The ‘bright’ ideas emerging from the greenest continent on earth are truly wonderful. The ‘digital drum computer kiosk’ is one such idea that has already been put to use. Exhibited at the two day educational event at the Chancellor’s Court of the University of Nairobi, the Computer Kiosk is made entirely of an old oil-drum. It is rugged and can withstand the African climes with ease. Made by a trio of engineers from Kampala, the kiosk was designed in under 3 days and was immediately liked and approved by the government of Uganda, the UNICEF and several NGOs. Rollouts of working models are being planned for installation at schools, youth centers and community access points across the nation to provide information on government projects, services, healthcare and education.

Solar-powered internet kiosks

VOA4SD (Voices of Africa for Sustainable Development) is an organization that initiates rural youth empowerment programs all around and across the African continent. Its latest endeavor is a joint venture with a community-based organization, Voices of Diani, which has installed a computer kiosk in Uganda. The kiosk runs completely on solar energy generated via the panels installed on it. The Community Grants Service of the Internet Society funds the project for one year levying zero bandwidth charges. For a continent that has been internet-deprived for long now, this comes as a boon. The youth can pick up Web 2.0 skills and sharpen their ICT skills too. A portion of the kiosk is dedicated to inform the rural youth about employment opportunities and places where necessary products can be brought. The project in itself will create employment opportunities if installed in more numbers.

MicroCycle

Striking two birds with a single stone, describes best the kiosk opened on the streets of New York by Eliott Montgomery. The public outreach kiosk has the ability to churn out specially designed shopping bags from plastic wastes and other materials salvaged from nearby areas. The energy for the process is provided by the solar panels installed above and around! Clean energy and reduced waste has inspired many a shoppers to purchase these bags for their shopping needs.

Olea kiosks from sorghum stalks

The 97th Annual NRF (National Retail Federation) Expo and Convention in New York saw the debut of a green kiosk from Olea. The specialty was that the kiosk has been made entirely of panels made from the sorghum plant. This plant is grown worldwide as a food crop and its stalks are discarded after harvesting. These discarded stalks can be heat-pressed with a non-toxic glue and formed into boards. Olea plans to run the On-screen Expert software from Expertcity and power it on IBM’s AnyPlace Kiosks. Currently on exhibit, there are no plans for a commercial manufacture of the same. However, it is enough to spark a ‘green’ revolution.

Solar-powered mobile charging kiosks

The arrival of smartphones has heralded almost a new way of life for people. Everything today seems to be done on the phone. In such a scenario, the green activists have a lot to worry in terms of e-waste and power needs. To add a green dimension to the cellphone usage, Vinu Jose, an industrial designer by profession, has come up with a phone charging kiosk that will be powered by solar energy. The body of the kiosk has been made of bent and welded sheet metal with steel pipes clamped to the bottom. LED bulbs provide lighting and the additional space in the kiosk can be used for advertisements. The installed solar panels power the kiosk and the charging stations.

Carbon Kiosks

Air travelers often leave behind a large and heavy carbon footprint. San Fransisco International Airport intends to give the travelers a chance to make amends. At the entrance are small cubicles named as carbon kiosks where carbon offsets can be purchased. The proceeds from the collection go into the afforestation programs at Garcia River Forest which is a conservation-based forest. Douglas and Redwood fir trees, which have the ability to capture and store CO2 will be planted. A part of the proceeds also goes to other such carbon-footprint reducing programs.

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