Do you believe in green living? Read the following blog (博客) and replies about a fun, easy and creative way to make your lifestyle greener.

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Remya Jose, who lived in a small village in India, learned that her mother was ill and her father would have to spend his time caring for her. As a result, she and her twin sister had to do most of the housework—including washing clothes. To make things even more difficult, the Jose family couldn’t afford an electric washing machine. Instead, the two girls would have to do the washing all by hand in the local river, and then carefully carry everything back to their home—a task that took several hours.

Being a good student interested in engineering, Remya wanted to make a washing machine which could be used without electricity. She started studying electric washers to learn how they worked. Remya then designed a machine that used bicycle pedals (踏板) and chain (链条). To find those things, she and her father went to a local shop. Workers there not only gave her the parts, but also helped her make the machine!

Here’s how the machine works: Remya used a cylinder (圆筒) to hold the clothes and put it in a cube (立方体). Next, she connected the bicycle pedals and the chain to the cylinder. As Remya pushed the pedals with her legs, the cylinder cleaned the clothes just like a regular washing machine.

Remya’s invention worked! She had created her own human-powered washing machine-and now a task that used to take several hours took only 30 minutes. Remya’s washing machine was chosen as India’s best innovation!

“Remya Jose made a difference,” said Jeanine Thomas of The Borden Project, “Her invention saves time and money for the world’s poor.”

George Stephenson was known as the Father of the Railway. He was the pioneer of locomotives (蒸汽机车), one of the most important inventions in the 19th century.

Stephenson was born in 1781 in Britain. His father made a little money as a fireman in a local coal mine (煤矿) . That meant he had no money for his children’s schooling. When he was George tried to help his parents by doing farm work. He also worked in the mine with his father when he was 14.

Stephenson knew the value of education. When he became an engineman (机师) at Water Row Pit at 17 years old, he paid to study at night. After a year, he knew how to read, write, and do some math. In 1811, Stephenson repaired a broken steam engine (蒸汽机) successfully and that was when he became a local expert on engines.

In 1814, Stephenson built Blucher, his first locomotive. Later, he improved it to give a greater pulling power. For the next five years, Stephenson built sixteen engines. His boss exalted him for his work and asked him to build an 8-mile-long railroad.

Working on this project made Stephenson realize that he could build railways. In 1821, Stephenson got a company to give him a project to build a railway which connected the coal mines in two different areas. He told them that his Blucher locomotive could take the place of fifty horses. On September 27, 1825, the first railway was built in Britain. Carrying 80 tons of goods, Blucher ran for nine miles in two hours at a speed of 15 miles (24 km) per hour.