Emily Cummins is 21 years old and a budding entrepreneur, who has already won numerous awards for her designs and inventions. Her latest creation is a portable solar-powered refrigerator based on the principles of evaporation and uses a combination of conduction and convection. It requires no electricity and can be made from materials such as cardboard, sand and recycled metal. After research showed that a refrigerator is the one appliance people did not want to do without, she decided to develop a sustainable prototype. She spent five months in Africa testing her refrigerator, which is ideal for developing nations and communities where energy and resources are limited. Emily is now in the process of designing a second generation refrigerator that will be more efficient and cool to constant temperatures lower than 6°C. www.emilycummins.co.uk

sunshine in a bucket

Recent load shedding forced most South Africans to focus on the need to save energy and consider alternative sources. Although new technology has driven the development of many products, sometimes the simplest ideas lead to innovative, low-cost solutions. Inspired by the age-old tradition of collecting potable water at wells with buckets, Italian designer Stefano Merlo’s Energy Bucket collects sunshine. Photovoltaic panels collect energy during the day and to power LEDs encased in the bucket’s housing; perfect for providing light, atmosphere and a talking point at alfresco dining after dark. Unfortunately, it is still a prototype, but Stefano invites anyone interested in developing it to contact him via his website www.stefanomerlo.com

BioFires

BioFires are a revolutionary concept in home décor, elegantly designed to bring the element of fire into modern living. Place your BioFire in the bedroom or bathroom for a warm, romantic feel; on the dining table as a centrepiece or on the patio to take the chill out of cool evenings.

BioFires produces a clean burning and warm fire for your home using an environmentally- friendly liquid BioFuel made from sugarcane

Life in Balance readers will get a 10% discount on any BioFires ordered by using the voucher code “balance” when ordering online. Visit www.biofires.co.za or call 021 852 8514