Turns out man can make better plants and trees than mother nature, as we’ve discovered in the news this week.
Silk trees that absorb the same amount of CO2 as 90 eucalyptus trees are
being tested in Spain to help reduce emissions from cars and factories. The trees, which look like lamp posts and can be customized to blend in with surroundings -- similar to
silk tree cell phone tower concealment -- have been installed to date in Valencia, Castellon, and Barcelona.
Meanwhile, an innovative
artificial plant product called TouchPot that was recently
brought to market by Aydan Design can harness kinetic energy when its leaves are moved by wind or by people manually turning them. The TouchPot can re-charge portable electronic devices while providing a LED glow for those college kids who want something other than a lava lamp for their dorm rooms.
We reported on the proliferation of
artificial plant technology in an earlier post, such as for hidden cameras, soil readers, and humidifiers. All in all, it certainly seems -- somewhat ironically -- that artificial trees and plants are helping make the world a greener place.