Members from the Ban the Bottle crew had the opportunity to visit the 2010 Green California Summit and Expo this week in Sacramento. The annual Green California Summit has become an essential resource to support efforts to meet the challenges of managing energy and water resources, and to create clean and sustainable communities throughout the state of California.

The event featured a large expo with a ton of innovative green products to peruse. I’ve compiled a list my top 4 innovative  green products from the Green California Summit.

Swann Electric Bikes

Swann Electric Bikes produces the BionX kit which provides bikes an “electric assist”. This means the rider still has to actually peddle to trigger the electric-assist. Settings range from a 25 per cent boost to 300 per cent, depending on the battery and motor size. A throttle on the handlebar offers an override function, allowing the bicycle to operate in 100-per-cent electric mode temporarily, but generally the idea around this kind of e-bike is that the rider still gets the exercise but without the bursts of effort needed to tackle uneven terrain and forces of nature.

HydrationStation Water Dispenser

Forget single-use bottled water and start using a sustainable water dispenser to fill up your sports bottle and meet the needs for hydration.  The Hydration Station water dispenser features a touch-free, hygienic interface with built-in filter technology to make tap water taste great.  The HydrationStation can save your company thousands of dollars on bottled water costs while creating a more eco-friendly work environment.

BigBelly Waste Management System

The BigBelly^® Solar Compactor is a patented compacting trash receptacle that is completely self-powered. Instead of requiring a grid connection, BigBelly uses solar power for 100% of its energy needs. The unit takes up as much space as the “footprint” of an ordinary receptacle—but its capacity is five times greater. Increased capacity reduces collection trips and can cut fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions by 80%.

Airius Commercial Ceiling Fans

Through a natural law of physics, the AIRIUS System suspended near the ceiling will continue mixing warmer air from the ceiling with cooler air near the floor until the ceiling and floor air temperatures are nearly equal. As this happens, it will require less and less energy to comfortably heat the floor area, allowing thermostats to be lowered and energy savings to be realized. Once begun, the entire process of “thermal equalization” will take, on average, less than 24 hours. The AIRIUS System is designed to run 24/7, maintaining a uniform and comfortable air temperature at all times. Unlike a ceiling fan, the air is “drilled” downward in a focused column, not simply swirled around.

Tags: california, hydrationstation