I am not sure if Hunter boots are still in fashion, but I do like the look. I always have a thing for girls wearing boots or be specific Wellies. It is less about splashing in puddles and more about the look. Do you know what Lilly Allen, Kelly Osborne, Kate Moss, Samantha Cameron, Liz Hurley, and Angelina Jolie (and my wife) have in common? They all have the same boots.
They were so hot last year and not sure they can sustain that. The first original rubber Wellington boots were produced in Scotland in 1856 and Hunter Wellies were then introduced back in the mid '50s. But only 36 pairs were sold. I see many making the mistakes not wearing them right, such as not pairing with jeans that are slim enough or not matching the right short dresses or skirts.
The next cool thing is a pair of Orange Power Wellies, they are thermoelectric rubber boots that charge your cell phone using heat from your feet. These could come in very handy and also very energy friendly. UK mobile operator Orange teamed up with renewable-energy company GotWind to create the boots, which feature a power-generating sole that converts feet heat into an electrical current. That’s a great idea.
The power collected in the ‘power generating sole’ is collected via a process known as the ‘Seebeck’ effect. I hope they will make one that can power up an iPad with an extended cord, or a matching raincoat with a pocket for iPad. It will take a lot of walking (roughly12 hours) to give a full charge to your phone. We don’t know how much it cost but this is a great example of applying sustainable technologies to our everyday lives.
The idea is not new, Japanese telecommunications company NTT was developing shoes that generate electricity upon movement early 2008. The shoes generate 1.2 watts of electricity— enough to power an iPod forever if the wearer doesn’t stop walking. Unfortunately, the shoes are not capable of storing energy, but they are certainly good for juicing up gadgets on the go. The shoes are powered by small turbines and each shoe has a small generator attached to the water-filled sole, which spins a small turbine and generate power each time the wearer takes a step. Last heard they plan to bring them to market later this year. I hope Apple can design their own iBoots. That will be very cool.
