John Manning's ideas: (click suns to rate or comment on ideas)
| 1 |
| Build cities for people and bikes - not for cars! Bicycles should have their own lane with a divider between it and the road, and also have a separate stoplight system. This is in place in parts of Europe (example: The Netherlands) and works remarkably. | |
| 2 |
| LEDs for flashlights. They use less power than incandescent lights but last much longer and are much brighter when several are bunched together. | |
| 3 |
| Why are school buildings reminiscent of Gothic, Medieval, and Prison architecture? If you want kids to be bright and creative, let them learn and develop in unique and colorful buildings that combine technology with nature. Hire some new architects. | |
| 4 |
| High school students, organize a Head Shave for Cancer Research event at your school. Have the students donate to see their favourite teachers and administrators go bald. | |
| 5 |
| In Japan they take off their shoes and put on special slippers before entering a home. This not only keeps your home cleaner, but it saves on the power required to clean it often. | |
| 6 |
| A shirt with a thin and flexible LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or e-ink screen on the front. Download a new picture to wear every day! | |
| 7 |
| Politicians of all levels are required to send their children to public school. This would provide a personal incentive for them to improve our education system and also give them more direct feedback on how the system is doing. | |
| 8 |
| Sell special worms that make your compost work faster and better. Clean, helpful, and profitable. | |
| 9 |
| Vacuum cleaners use water to filter the air and hold the dirt instead of bags. It's cheaper, and you can dump the water in your garden when you are done! Some vacuums employ this technology now, but not nearly enough. | |
| 10 |
| Make your homepage www.clearlandmines.com, and help rid the world of the scourge of the earth for free! | |
| 11 |
| Tea contains iron and other nutrients that are good for plants. So instead of throwing your used tea bags in the garbage, put them in your garden! | |
| 12 |
| To save your feet from being burned by the hot sand when playing beach volleyball, wear socks! The thicker the better. You can still play the game in the same way but without the discomfort. | |
| 13 |
| A central home energy system. It takes in room-temperature air and changes it to hot air (for heating) and cold air (for refrigerator, freezer, and air conditioner when needed). Excess thermal energy is stored in a battery for later use. (appliances) | |
| 14 |
| Legalize Marijuana. The Netherlands has done it and they have lower drug-use rates than the United States. The money saved from chasing pot-smokers can be put into health care and education. | |
| 15 |
| The world's leading countries should combine their resources to send people to Mars. It would break up the cost of the project and help unite (and pleasantly distract) the world in this time of political instability. | |
| 16 |
| George Bush should make a music video rapping about why he hates Saddam Hussein. It would appeal to the younger generation, and might loosen a bit of the Middle East tension. | |