Bicyclists in Copenhagen will soon be able to take part in a project that will allow them to track the roads they've traveled, get a boost up tough hills, and maybe even improve their social lives.

The Smart Biking Project is being developed by the SENSEable City Laboratory, an MIT research group focused on technology and cities, part of MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning.

Using a Facebook application called "I Crossed Your Path," cyclists will be able to make connections with each other by exchanging information - online or through a smartphone - about which routes they took that day. The program, which formally gets underway in 2009, will work through a smart tag that functions a lot like RFID (radio frequency identification) technology. The tag, which they expect to be the size of a USB flash drive, can be installed under a bike seat, inside the frame, or on a headlight

"MIT's smart tags will have low power consumption, low bandwidth, and will be affordable at under $30 per tag," said Christine Outram, project leader and a graduate student in the Master of Science in Architecture Studies program.

"If I ride past a particular point, and a friend from Facebook or another social networking site rides past, I can get a little ping on my bike, or a text message on my cellphone, or a message that will appear on my social networking site," Outram said.

The application will also allow individuals or groups to monitor the distance they travel as part of a citywide green-mileage initiative, similar to a frequent-flyer program, where points are awarded and prizes earned for those reducing their carbon footprint through biking.

"You can interpolate the data for a variety of things, like monitor how ...Read More

There's a great list of new green gadgets for the traveler, or even the non-traveler who simply likes green gadgets, in the latest edition of Travel+Leisure.

My favorite: the ever-so-practical but cute ...Read More

Where would you be without your USB?

These ports are used to power an array of gadgets and gizmos.

The USBCELL company's mission to provide ever-eco-friendlier energy solutions has been bolstered by its line of USB rechargeable batteries. Batteries have been slow to achieve a greener ...Read More

Sure, you've switched to greener cleaning products, but how eco-friendly is the storage and folding apparatus in your laundry room? Are you still married to cold chrome and first-use plastic?

Here's the scoop on several better choices for the oh-so-natural laundry maven.

Roll out the bamboo because it's a ...Read More

In the mad dash to go green, grow green and glow green, some  energetic gadget makers are marketing devices that are so darn friendly, we might as well ask them to move into our homes. Plug into these and see:

...Read More

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It's bigger than a breadbox but just as adorable, and as quiet as a mouse.

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Who would have thought house moving can be as stressful on trees and landfills as it is on the old marriage?

Massive cardboard boxes piled high in a moving truck. Think about it. We assemble them, fill them with our precious books, clothes and snow globe collections, only to toss them once we are unpacked and busy feathering our new ...Read More

Attending the Natural Products Expo East in Boston last week was like going trick-or-treating. The largest trade show of its kind on the East Coast, I carefully went from booth to booth scouring over 1,200 natural, organic, and healthy products to share with you EcoSalon readers. From vegetable-derived stainless steel cleaner to dill ...Read More